Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

flash mob

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English

Syllables: flash -mob
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A group of people who rapidly assemble, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act, and then quickly disperse.

Example Sentences

"Called into being on short notice by Web sites and e-mail distribution lists, flash mobs meet at an appointed time, engage in some organized spontaneity for a few minutes, then rapidly disperse. The activities are innocent, if mysterious, and tend to bring together loose groupings of surprisingly conventional looking young adults."

Etymology

Perhaps from flash crowd, a term coined by Larry Niven in Flash Crowd (1973), a story about cheap teleportation in the future.

Inflected Forms

flash mobs (plural) flashmob (alternative)

Phrases

flash mobber flash rob

Questions

What does flash mob mean?: A group of people who rapidly assemble, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act, and then quickly disperse.
Where does flash mob come from?: Perhaps from flash crowd, a term coined by Larry Niven in Flash Crowd (1973), a story about cheap teleportation in the future.

How to pronounce flash mob

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “flash mob”.
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