noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of souvenir
1765–75; < French, noun use of ( se ) souvenir to remember < Latin subvenīre to come to mind, equivalent to sub- sub- + venīre to come
Explanation
A souvenir is a keepsake or a remembrance. A telltale sign that someone has visited Paris is the tiny, metal Eiffel Tower hanging from her keychain as a souvenir. First recorded in 1775 as meaning “a remembrance or memory,” the noun souvenir stems from the French souvenir “to remember, come to mind.” A few years later, it took on the sense of “a token” of an event or experience. A song by Tears for Fears goes, “Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.” Here, souvenir refers to a feeling, but more often it refers to something tangible, like a memento, gift, or trophy.
Vocabulary lists containing souvenir
Inside Out & Back Again
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Bronx Masquerade
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Mardi Gras: Fun
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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:
Artisanal butter has become Paris’s must-have status souvenir, supplanting Ladurée macarons and drugstore skin care.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
In 1764, an English sailor named Samuel Bowen arrived in Savannah, Georgia, with a handful of soybeans, a souvenir from several years spent in China.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Not far from the cafe where Osborn met with voters, Calvin Pemberton owns a Trump souvenir shop next to his car detailing business, where he sells flags, t-shirts and hats with the Republican president's likeness.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
That said, if you attended any of the Oasis '25 shows, this is an incredible souvenir of all the tear-soaked euphoria and musical communion that accompanied their comeback.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
One even cut a horse blanket into souvenir pieces.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
Many presidents, however, have given souvenirs or personal mementos to staff.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
In South Korea, investigators say some people brought the seasoning back home as souvenirs from their overseas trips before listing it for resale.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Other L.A. souvenirs included a replica bandshell from the Hollywood Bowl and a tiny pagoda from the Chinese Theatre.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
And some had edible souvenirs that came directly from Hidden Valley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
We walked farther down the wharf and found an old lady with a wooden cart to buy our souvenirs from.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
