Carpe DM

Carpe DM is another way to say, "don't waste any more time, DM the person now." It plays off of "carpe diem," which is Latin for "seize the day," another way to say "don't wait; do what you want to do now."

What is a DM?

A DM is a direct message (may be used as a noun or verb), which is a way to discreetly message a person on a social site, like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. People typically DM others when wanting to privately communicate through a platform instead of texting or emailing them.

Where did carpe DM come from?

There are no clear origins for who first coined the term. People may have cleverly combined the Latin phrase with "DM," but it did not gain significant usage online until the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.

How do I use carpe DM?

You can use carpe DM to encourage a person to contact someone via DM when they are waffling about whether or not it's a good idea. It may come across as brash, but sometimes people need a good shove to get going.

Most people use it in the context of getting someone to pursue another person they are romantically interested in, like a girl they met at the bar or a longtime guy-crush from school. People may use it in other contexts, too, like aggressively pursuing a job opportunity or telling a person you think you spotted their lost dog.