meme

[ meem ]

/ mim /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR meme ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition and replication in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.
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, meme·ing or mem·ing.

to create and spread memes: He spends a lot of time memeing and sharing his videos with friends.

verb (used with object), memed, meme·ing or mem·ing.

to make the subject of a meme: cute cats that get memed.

Words nearby meme

membranous labyrinth, membranous laryngitis, membranous ossification, membranous rhinitis, membrum, meme, memel, memento, memento mori, memling, memnon

Origin of meme

First recorded in 1976, meme is from the Greek word mīmeîsthai ‘to imitate, copy’; coined by R. Dawkins, British biologist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for meme

Some immediately treated the young rapper as a punchline, turning his awkward posture in the photo into a meme.
Bobby Shmurda and Rap’s Ultimate Hoop Dream|Rawiya Kameir|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The beef began three days ago, when Snoop posted an unflattering Iggy meme to his Instagram.
Who Dat, Who Dat? It’s Snoop Dogg Saying Misogynistic Things to I-G-G-Y|Amy Zimmerman|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The meme enters your mind, changes how you behave, and then finds a way to pass itself on to another person.
The Midichlorians Made Me Do It: Can Microbes Explain Religion?|Michael Schulson|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another ad attempts to tie Land to the “war on women” meme that worked so well for Democrats in 2012.
How Harry Reid Carpet-Bombed the South|Eleanor Clift|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The meme is that doctors are getting away with something and need constant training, watching and regulating.
How Being a Doctor Became the Most Miserable Profession|Daniela Drake|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pu d'instants apres il dit l'Empereur Alexandre lui meme, "Il ne vous reste que le tronc—mais le cœur y est, et la tte est vous."
Travels in France during the years 1814-1815|Archibald Alison

British Dictionary definitions for meme

meme

/ (miːm) /

noun

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

Word Origin for meme

C20: possibly from mimic, on the model of gene

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

meme

noun

verb (used without object), memed, meme·ing or mem·ing.

verb (used with object), memed, meme·ing or mem·ing.

Words related to meme

Words nearby meme

Origin of meme

Examples from the Web for meme

British Dictionary definitions for meme

noun

Word Origin for meme