Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

memo

American  
[mem-oh] / ˈmɛm oʊ /

noun

memos plural
  1. memorandum.


memo British  
/ ˈmɛməʊ, ˈmiːməʊ /

noun

  1. short for memorandum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of memo

By shortening; see -o

Explanation

A memo is a written message. Your boss may send around a memo in your office warning employees to not spend so much time socializing by the water cooler and to get back to work. The intent of most memos is to help you remember something, or to remind another person of something. In a business or government setting, it's particularly important to keep written notes on decisions and communications between people. A written or emailed memo is one way to keep such a record. The word is short for memorandum, "thing to be recorded" in Latin, and a close linguistic relative of memory.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing memo

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.

Even Mexican goalkeeper Memo Ochoa has gotten in on the action, posting a selfie on Instagram wearing a straw cowboy hat with “¿Y si sí?” etched on it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

Ipsen’s deals for Memo and for Kartos Therapeutics earlier this week are likely to leave it with an estimated net cash position of about 500 million euros at year-end, according to RBC.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

Memo to LeBron James: Which camp will you choose?

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

Sunday says it costs about $25,000 to make its Memo robot prototypes, but that should be cut down to less than $10,000 as it scales production.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 27, 2025

They headed toward school, but Moss welcomed the sight of Memo, the man who made fruit cups from his cart on MacArthur.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "memo" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com