Memphis

¹ American  

[mem-fis] / ˈmɛm fɪs /

noun

1. a port in SW Tennessee, on the Mississippi.

2. a ruined city in Lower Egypt, on the Nile, S of Cairo: the ancient capital of Egypt.

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Memphis ² American  

[mem-fis] / ˈmɛm fɪs /

noun

1. a group of international designers and architects, formed in the 1980s and based in Milan, whose work is characterized by the use of bold colors, geometric shapes, and unconventional, often playful, designs.

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adjective

1. of or relating to this group or its style of design.

Memphis British  

/ ˈmɛmfɪs /

noun

1. a port in SW Tennessee, on the Mississippi River: the largest city in the state; a major cotton and timber market; Memphis State University (1909). Pop: 645 978 (2003 est)

2. a ruined city in N Egypt, the ancient centre of Lower Egypt, on the Nile: administrative and artistic centre, sacred to the worship of Ptah

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Memphis Cultural  

1. Largest city in Tennessee; located on the Mississippi River.

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Etymology

Origin of Memphis

The name was allegedly suggested to Ettore Sottsass, one of the group's founders, by the Bob Dylan song “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” on the evening of December 11, 1980

Example Sentences

Notable: Overtaking Alt as the tallest player on the Chargers’ roster, Burke started 11 games at right tackle for Memphis last season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

The Original Memphis Five recorded first, an instrumental foxtrot version in March.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Musk is spending heavily to build data centers in the Memphis area—both in Tennessee and nearby Mississippi—for xAI and his Grok chatbot.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

He beat a top class field and defeated US Open champion JJ Spaun in a play-off in the first of the PGA Tour's end-of-season play-off events in Memphis last August.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

I stood at a counter and picked up the Memphis Commercial Appeal and began my free reading of the press.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright