meme

American  

[meem] / mim /

noun

1. 1. a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition and replication in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.

   2. a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way.

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verb (used without object)

memed, memeing, meming

1. to create and spread memes.

   He spends a lot of time memeing and sharing his videos with friends.

verb (used with object)

memed, memeing, meming

1. to make the subject of a meme.

   cute cats that get memed.

meme British  

/ miːm /

noun

1. an idea or element of social behaviour passed on through generations in a culture, esp by imitation

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Etymology

Origin of meme

First recorded in 1976; coined by British evolutionary biologist C. Richard Dawkins (born 1941), shortening of Dawkins's original creation mimeme, which was based on Greek mī́mēma “imitation, copy; artistic representation,” but which Dawkins also wanted to look and sound like gene; cf. mimesis ( def. )

Explanation

A meme is an idea or habit that's passed between people and generations through imitation. An example of a meme is the cultural tradition of women wearing skirts. A cultural idea, value, habit, or even something like a tune is a meme if it is picked up from someone else. A meme, which is pronounced "meem," will change over time, like younger kids who want to wear the exact same clothes but who eventually develop their own, though similar, styles. Recently, meme has become commonly used to refer to Internet memes — pictures, videos, or even slang words that are shared between Internet users.

Example Sentences

GameStop rose to prominence as a "meme stock", which sees retail investors buy up shares in unloved companies that professional investors have bet against, causing the share price to rise and fall sharply.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

The chocolate itself is now often reduced to a meme about TikTok-trend overconsumption often lumped into the category of Labubu dolls, matcha and Crumbl Cookies.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

Meanwhile, the internet has reduced Miranda to a meme.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Retail investor interest in so-called meme stocks has returned to levels last seen in the stock-market recovery from the Trump administration’s tariffs, according to an analysis from JPMorgan.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

Somebody’s gonna turn Mr. Lewis into a meme.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas