Meanings
plural flash mobs · alternative flashmob
- A group of people who rapidly assemble, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act, and then quickly disperse.First known use 2003
1 more example
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
Origin
Perhaps from flash crowd, a term coined by Larry Niven in Flash Crowd (1973), a story about cheap teleportation in the future.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَجَمُّع مُفَاجِئ, فْلَاش موب
- تَجَمُّع مُفَاجِئ (tajammuʕ mufājiʔ)group converging and dispersing quickly
- فْلَاش موب (flāš mōb)group converging and dispersing quickly
Bulgarian флашмоб
- флашмоб (flašmob)group converging and dispersing quickly
Chinese Mandarin 快閃 /快闪
- 快閃 /快闪 (kuàishǎn)group converging and dispersing quickly
Czech flash mob
- flash mobgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Dutch flashmob
- flashmobgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Finnish flash mob, äkkiryhmä
- flash mobgroup converging and dispersing quickly
- äkkiryhmägroup converging and dispersing quickly
French flash mob
- flash mobgroup converging and dispersing quickly
German Flashmob
- Flashmobgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Hebrew פְלֶאש מוֹבּ
- פְלֶאש מוֹבּgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Hindi फ़्लैश मॉब
- फ़्लैश मॉब (flaiś mŏb)group converging and dispersing quickly
Japanese フラッシュモブ
- フラッシュモブ (furasshumobu)group converging and dispersing quickly
Korean 플래시 몹
- 플래시 몹 (peullaesi mop)group converging and dispersing quickly
Latvian zibakcija, flešmobs
- zibakcijagroup converging and dispersing quickly
- flešmobsgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Malay aksi rasa kilas
- aksi rasa kilasgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Māori urumaranga
- urumarangagroup converging and dispersing quickly
Polish flash mob
- flash mobgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Portuguese flash mob
- flash mobgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Russian флэшмо́б, флешмо́б
- флэшмо́б (flɛšmób)group converging and dispersing quickly
- флешмо́б (flɛšmób)group converging and dispersing quickly
Swedish flash mob
- flash mobgroup converging and dispersing quickly
Ukrainian флешмо́б
- флешмо́б (flešmób)group converging and dispersing quickly
Cite this entry
flash mob. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20mob
“flash mob.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20mob. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flash mob,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20mob.
Source: flash mob on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.