memoir
Americannoun
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a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation.
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Usually memoirs.
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an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography.
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the published record of the proceedings of a group or organization, as of a learned society.
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a biography or biographical sketch.
noun
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a biography or historical account, esp one based on personal knowledge
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an essay or monograph, as on a specialized topic
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obsolete a memorandum
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of memoir
First recorded in 1560–70; from French mémoire, from Latin memoria; see memory
Explanation
The beginning of a short memoir of your life might read like this: I was born on a dark and stormy night. My days remained blustery — school was difficult for me, and my parents argued all of the time. My luck changed when... A memoir is a person's own account of his or her life. Memoirs allow for a bit more literary freedom than autobiographies as they involve introspection and a creative view of your past. As you go through life or a phase in life, you can write things down in your memoirs so that at a later time, you can publish a memoir about it.
Vocabulary lists containing memoir
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Literary Genres - Introductory
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25 Words from "Baseball and Black History"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This essay is adapted from the author's book "Song for a Hard-Hit People: A Memoir of Antiracist Solidarity from a Coal Miner's Daughter," published by Haymarket Books.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
The author is a nutritionist who wrote the bestselling book, “My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love and Family, With Recipes.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026
His second book, Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery, is out this week and simply cannot be read for enjoyment.
From Slate • Feb. 25, 2026
This essay is adapted from the author’s forthcoming book, ‘The Family Snitch: A Daughter’s Memoir of Truth and Lies,’ to be published on February 3 by Steerforth Press.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
The pieces that follow are reprints, and have been already mentioned in this Memoir.
From Tennyson and His Friends by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
