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.

---

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

---

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

The classic meme stocks are too small to affect passive investors much, but shades of the phenomenon have crept into some hefty, mainstream companies that can.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

The intelligent bet is that today’s batch of meme stocks will suffer the same fate.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

The Avis run-up doesn’t appear to be driven by heavy involvement by retail investors, unlike the situation involving GameStop and other meme stocks.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

From there, the movie was immortalized in the meme canon with Andy’s Chanel boots and Miranda’s famous cerulean monologue.

From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026

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

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas