Atherosclerosis (AS) is one of important basic pathogeneses of cardiovascular diseases, with a variety of complex aspects of pathological processes involved. Chronic vascular inflammatory response, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of smooth muscle cells and neovascularization are involved in the pathogenesis and development of AS. Many inflammation-related biomarkers have been confirmed as new targets for detection of AS and cardiovascular disease risk. In these biomarkers, oncostatin M (OSM) has attracted more and more attention. Evidence shows that OSM not only exerts biological effects on melanoma, liver regeneration and chronic inflammations such as rheumatoid arthritis, and lung and skin inflammatory diseases, but also plays important role in AS. In this article, we reviewed the roles of OSM in the pathogenesis and development of AS.