OOMF is an acronym for “one of my followers” or “one of my friends.” People use it on social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) to mention someone without naming or tagging them.​​ ​

So what does OOMF mean in a specific post? Context is everything. Read the room—or rather, the rest of the post—to know exactly who the creator is talking about.​​ ​

OOMF lets you talk about someone without tagging their X handle. That keeps the mention discreet.​​ ​

The tone shifts with the post. OOMF can be a positive, neutral or negative shout-out—often bordering on a subtweet.​​ ​

OOMF belongs to a growing list of social media acronyms that make posts faster to write.​​ ​

What does OOMF mean on X?​​ ​

On X, OOMF keeps its original meaning: one of my followers or one of my friends. The term started on Twitter as a way to point to a follower without naming them, existing as a hashtag since March 2010 before catching on in 2011.​​ ​

The term quickly spread to Tumblr and Instagram, so its meaning remains exactly the same across platforms.​​ ​

Close followers often know who the OOMF is, the same way insiders know a creator’s lore. Here are two example posts, one affectionate and one neutral:​​ ​

  • “Shout-out to my oomf who hypes up every single post. You’re the best.”​​ ​
  • “Oomf just recommended a new podcast, and I’m three episodes in.”​​ ​

OOMF vs. moots​​ ​

“Moots” is short for mutual followers, referring to people who follow and generally actively engage with each other on social media.​​ ​

That two-way follow is the key difference. An OOMF can be any follower or friend, and the follow doesn’t have to go both ways.​​ ​

Every moot (or mutual) counts as an OOMF, but plenty of OOMFs are strictly one-way follows.​​ ​

Should brands use OOMF?​​ ​

OOMF is personal, peer-to-peer slang, so it fits casual brands that spotlight community members or reshare user-generated content. Use it only when it matches your brand voice. For the bigger strategy, read our guide on when brands should use slang.​​ ​

Spot every OOMF shout-out in your replies with Sprout Social’s intuitive engagement tools. Start a free trial today.​​ ​