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In true Gen Z fashion, TikTokers and X users have caused a resurgence of a popular slang that originated more than 13 years ago. “Oomf” has recently been trending again online, and no, the term is not the sound of someone getting sucker-punched. “Oomf” is an acronym, and it stands for “one of my friends” or “one of my followers,” with the latter being the most accurate as social media platforms become default gathering spaces.
What does ‘oomf’ or ‘oomfie’ mean?
The first recorded use of “oomf” on Twitter was back in 2011, according to KnowYourMeme, when user @MissShantae_ used the slang when talking about one of her friends. However, some sources, like Dictionary.com, clock the use as early as 2010.
Back then, netizens used “oomf” as a way to talk about who they interact with, whether online or IRL. It was seen as either flirtatious or a way to subtweet others (when you subliminally talk about someone without directly naming them).
Just as BFF stands for best friends forever, “oomf” instead refers to anyone you know or one who follows you online. The slang was predominantly used on X, formerly Twitter, and the Daily Dot covered the popular term in 2021 when it was trending on and off.
Former Daily Dot writer Miles Klee wrote, “But there’s more to #oomf than just shy, safe, and near-subliminal flirtation. There’s also plenty of envy, anger, confusion, and disappointment. Users deploy #oomf to call out bad behavior and estrangements without anything like a true confrontation.”
The resurgence of ‘oomf’ today
In 2024, however, it seems the nickname for your online friends has come back in full force, with memes and viral tweets sporting the slang. It doesn’t have to be flirtatious, or even scandalous. “Oomf” or “oomfie” can be used endearingly to simply talk about someone online. In fact, my friends and I call each other “oomfs” all the time, though ironically. Now, it’s used more loosely instead of holding any significant meaning (like most of Gen Zalpha’s slang.)
Huffington Post interviewed a linguist about the resurgence of “oomf” in 2024. Jessica Rett, a University of California, Los Angeles, professor of linguistics, said oomf was proof of this new generation wanting to “obfuscate and innovate.”
“They don’t want us to know what they’re talking about,” Rett told Yahoo!. “And it’s really just a way of sort of setting themselves apart from old people like me.”
How to use ‘oomf’
With Gen Zalpha’s lexicon being so flexible and always evolving, you can’t really go wrong with using oomf however you like (until it’s uncool again.) But until then, feel free to call any of your friends “oomfies.” For example, “Just invited my long-distance oomf to Christmas dinner. So excited.” Or even ironically using them in jokes, like, “I could not protect oomf from his rent this month AGAIN *sad face emoji*.)
Next week’s column will focus on decoding “Huzz,” so make sure to stay tuned!
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Check out our previous explainers:
1) Just put my fries in the bag, bro.
