flash mob en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Perhaps from flash crowd, a term coined by Larry Niven in Flash Crowd (1973), a story about cheap teleportation in the future.
Meanings
-
A group of people who rapidly assemble, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act, and then quickly disperse.
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.
2003 August 4, Otto Pohl, “Berlin Journal; What: Mob Scene. Who: Strangers. Point: None.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| flashmob | alternative | lexicographic | |
| flash mobs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (29)
nl flashmob (group converging and dispersing quickly) · fi flash mob (group converging and dispersing quickly) · hy ֆլեշմոբ (group converging and dispersing quickly) · ms aksi rasa kilas (group converging and dispersing quickly) · hi फ़्लैश मॉब (group converging and dispersing quickly) · bg флашмоб (group converging and dispersing quickly) · hy շանթամբոխ (group converging and dispersing quickly) · uk флешмо́б (group converging and dispersing quickly) · fr flash mob (group converging and dispersing quickly) · fi äkkiryhmä (group converging and dispersing quickly) · he פְלֶאש מוֹבּ (group converging and dispersing quickly) · be флэшмо́б (group converging and dispersing quickly) · ka ფლეშმობი (group converging and dispersing quickly) · pt flash mob (group converging and dispersing quickly) · ko 플래시 몹 (group converging and dispersing quickly) · lv zibakcija (group converging and dispersing quickly) · cmn 快閃 /快闪 (group converging and dispersing quickly) · ja フラッシュモブ (group converging and dispersing quickly) · ru флешмо́б (group converging and dispersing quickly) · sv flash mob (group converging and dispersing quickly) · ru флэшмо́б (group converging and dispersing quickly) · de Flashmob (group converging and dispersing quickly) · lv flešmobs (group converging and dispersing quickly) · ar فْلَاش موب (group converging and dispersing quickly) · ar تَجَمُّع مُفَاجِئ (group converging and dispersing quickly) · cs flash mob (group converging and dispersing quickly) · pl flash mob (group converging and dispersing quickly) · mi urumaranga (group converging and dispersing quickly) · mk флеш моб (group converging and dispersing quickly)