mime

[ mahym, meem ]

/ maɪm, mim /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mime ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the art or technique of portraying a character, mood, idea, or narration by gestures and bodily movements; pantomime.

an actor who specializes in this art.

an ancient Greek or Roman farce that depended for effect largely upon ludicrous actions and gestures.

a player in such a farce.

mimic(def 4).

a jester, clown, or comedian.

verb (used with object), mimed, mim·ing.

to mimic.

to act in mime.

verb (used without object), mimed, mim·ing.

to play a part by mime or mimicry.

Nearby words

Origin of mime

1610–20; < Latin mīmus < Greek mîmos imitator, mime, akin to mīmeîsthai to copy, imitate

Related formsmim·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mime

Four years from now, I expect to see the presidential debates conducted entirely in mime.
The Flapdoodle Campaign|Megan McArdle|October 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I do this thing where I hold my breath and turn my face red right before I run across stage to mime throwing up in the trash can.
Pablo Schreiber on His New Off-Broadway Play|Kevin Sessums|February 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Siegfried now returns, and is very angry when he finds that Mime has not yet forged the sword.
The Opera|R.A. Streatfeild
Mime and Siegfried approach, Mime showing the way to the cave.
Magic, Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions Including Trick Photography|Albert A. Hopkins

We go to the theatres to see the mime; in their days the mime made his theatre in the great man's hall.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 4|Charles Dudley Warner
Siegfried exclaims that Mime must weld the pieces into a trusty weapon.
The Complete Opera Book|Gustav Kobb
He is occasionally mentioned in the later poem of Biterolf, as Mime the Old.
The Story of Siegfried|James Baldwin

British Dictionary definitions for mime

mime

/ (maɪm) /

noun

the theatrical technique of expressing an idea or mood or portraying a character entirely by gesture and bodily movement without the use of words

Also called: mime artist a performer specializing in such a technique, esp a comic actor

a dramatic presentation using such a technique

(in the classical theatre)

a comic performance depending for effect largely on exaggerated gesture and physical action
an actor in such a performance

verb

to express (an idea) in actions or gestures without speech

(of singers or musicians) to perform as if singing (a song) or playing (a piece of music) that is actually prerecorded

Derived Formsmimer, noun

Word Origin for mime

Old English mīma, from Latin mīmus mimic actor, from Greek mimos imitator

MIME

/ computing /

abbreviation for

multipurpose internet mail extensions

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

Word Origin and History for mime

mime

c.1600, "a buffoon who practices gesticulations" [Johnson], from French mime (16c.) and directly from Latin mimus, from Greek mimos "imitator, mimic, actor, mime, buffoon," of unknown origin. In reference to a performance, 1640s in a classical context; 1932 as "a pantomime."

mime

1610s, "to act without words," from mime (n.). The transferred sense of "to imitate" is from 1733 (Greek mimeisthai meant "to imitate"). Meaning "to pretend to be singing a pre-recorded song" is from 1965. Related: mimed; miming.

mime

noun

verb (used with object), mimed, mim·ing.

verb (used without object), mimed, mim·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of mime

Examples from the Web for mime

mime

noun

verb

Word Origin for mime

MIME

abbreviation for

mime

mime