mime
noun
the art or technique of portraying a character, mood, idea, or narration by gestures and bodily movements; pantomime.
mime
American
[mahym, meem]
/ maɪm, mim /
noun
-
mimes
plural
-
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.
-
a jester, clown, or comedian.
verb (used with object)
-
mimes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mimed,
past participle, past
-
miming
present participle
-
to mimic.
-
to act in mime.
verb (used without object)
-
mimes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mimed,
past participle, past
-
miming
present participle
mime
1
British
/ 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
-
-
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
MIME
2
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mimesimple
-
mimessimple
-
have mimedperfect
-
has mimedperfect
-
am mimingprogressive
-
are mimingprogressive
-
is mimingprogressive
-
have been mimingperfect progressive
-
has been mimingperfect progressive
Past
-
mimedsimple
-
had mimedperfect
-
was mimingprogressive
-
were mimingprogressive
-
had been mimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mime
1610–20; < Latin mīmus < Greek mîmos imitator, mime, akin to mīmeîsthai to copy, imitate
Explanation
A mime is a performer who uses exaggerated facial expressions and body movements — instead of words — to communicate with his audience. You may have seen a mime pretending she's trapped in an invisible box, using gestures to make it appear that she is pushing against walls and a ceiling. Many mimes also wear clown-like makeup, wear simple clothing, and refuse to speak. You can use the word mime as a verb as well, to describe what you do when you imitate your least favorite teacher for the amusement of your friends. The Greek root word is mimos, "imitator, actor, or buffoon."
Vocabulary lists containing mime
Theater - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Theater - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Theater - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
During live shoots, however, background actors stay silent and mime their conversations, “a skill set in and of itself,” Gemmill says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Williams would look into the camera, mime taking a drag from a cigarette, throw her head back and say, “I have lived!”
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2025
The predominantly male performers in Kerala and parts of neighbouring Karnataka embody deities through elaborate costumes, face paint, and trance-like dances, mime and music.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024
He rates a podcaster below “movies, TV, recording artist, radio personality, mime and organ grinder monkey.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2024
Even as a chatlink projection, my avatar could still mime shaking his outstretched hand.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
He fidgets with a pair of eyeglasses and points a knobby index finger to underscore a point, jiggles his leg restlessly and, at one point, mimes playing guitar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
As Kingsley tells the story, he mimes methodically making his way through the enormous volume.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Bogotá’s unorthodox mayor, Antanas Mockus—who rose to fame after mooning student protesters and deployed mimes to control traffic—viewed the activity as a gambit “to achieve self-regulation in the behavior among citizens.”
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2024
A sincere gift to Bigfoot believers or a surreal cinematic prank, “Sasquatch Sunset” mimes the familiar beats of the nature documentary.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
On the weekends, it was filled with roller skaters and Frisbee players and jugglers and mimes with their faces painted white.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
They wanted candy bars and grabbed them off the shelf and mimed taking bites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Running her hand through her brittle white hair, she mimed heating water on a gas stove to wash herself in the cold mornings.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
Standing with one foot on the right peg of his bike in a half-pirouette, Miranda mimed pumping his other foot across the pavement as if propelling a scooter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
He pretended his group were teenagers from Chester, who mimed along to the video for the song.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2025
Meggie's mother came up to him and mimed writing with her finger in the air.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
Ficarra is a brilliant clown — his part is all miming — and also the most level-headed of these characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Alicia Washington’s direction was clear, though she was understandably flummoxed about how to stage musician characters who don’t play their instruments and resorted to miming and posing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
"He was pretty much non-verbal by that point but, when he heard that, he pointed at himself as if to say 'that's mine' and was miming the words," she says.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2025
Ward lobbed one up for receiver Kyle Williams, who beat cornerback Travis Hunter so thoroughly that he immediately held up his wrist, miming CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ signature celebration.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2023
For example, a leader begins by miming actions such as teeth brushing, bouncing a ball, or eating food from a bowl, and the group imitates them.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
