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

See Examples For:

Memphis

In 2023 the death of an aging panda at the Memphis Zoo and the poor appearance of another set off social media complaints in China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Dundee and Lawler appeared in a Facebook video earlier this year where the duo thanked their fans for “never letting Memphis wrestling die,” the post said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Over the weekend, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 100 people in Memphis, the largest raid in the city’s history, according to local immigrant rights groups.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026

Ruddarraju and Mayo both played key roles in building Musk’s Colossus supercomputers in Memphis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Say what? he ast Celie is coming to Memphis with me.

From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker