Are You 'Oomf'? This Gen Z Affectionate Slang Is Taking Over.

This word doesn’t mean what you think.

“I have not seen oomf in a while. I think they are mad at me...”

If you understand what this sentence means, congratulations, you’re probably extremely online and know that it stands for “one of my friends.”

For those unfamiliar, it’s a slang term of affection that has recently been popularized online by Gen Z, but has existed for years. On X, formerly Twitter, it has been used as a hashtag to mean “one of my followers” since 2010, according to Dictionary.com. People often use it online to talk about other social media users they interact with.

But oomf, by definition, is not necessarily your one good friend. When you call someone your “bsf” (best friend) or “bff” (best friend forever), your friend has the certainty of knowing they have a close spot in your heart and are treasured by you. But anyone can be oomf, and that’s part of the word’s appeal ― it gives people a way to covertly gossip.

“I recently tweeted...‘Oomf is dating a 32-year old man, and I don’t approve of it.’ I will fully admit I use that to sneak-diss my friends that I can’t fully confront in person,” said Chloe Forero, a 21-year-old content creator based in Naperville, Illinois, who made a popular TikTok video explaining the meaning of “oomf.”