memoir

noun

mem·​oir ˈmem-ˌwär How to pronounce memoir (audio)
-ˌwȯr
1
: an official note or report : memorandum
2
a
: a narrative composed from personal experience
every memoir reminds us of the faraway and long ago, of loss and change, of persons and places beyond recallAbigail McCarthy
b
: autobiography
usually used in plural
His memoirs recall his student days at Harvard.
c
: biography
his memoir of his longtime friend
3
a
: an account of something noteworthy : report
the work described and discussed in this memoir represent a first-class investigationJ. A. Steers
b
memoirs plural : the record of the proceedings of a learned society
memoirist noun

Examples of memoir in a Sentence

a retired politician who is writing his memoirs He has written a memoir of his mother. a memoir of Hollywood in the 1930s
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the memoir is also weirder and wilder than this description implies. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024 The Password buddies also talked about Emmy winner Palmer’s new empowering memoir, Master of Me, her tribute to Usher at this year’s BET Awards and her upcoming big screen comedy with SZA, One of Them Days. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024 Palmer stopped by the late-night show to promote her new memoir, Master of Me, and did so looking extremely glamorous in a sheer black lace button-down dress and the aforementioned power pony. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 20 Nov. 2024 In the memoir, which came out on Nov. 19, White provided some insight about the strained relationship. Regina Cho, VIBE.com, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for memoir 

Word History

Etymology

Middle French memoire, from memoire memory, from Latin memoria

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of memoir was in 1571

Dictionary Entries Near memoir

Cite this Entry

“Memoir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memoir. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

memoir

noun
mem·​oir ˈmem-ˌwär How to pronounce memoir (audio)
-ˌwȯ(ə)r
1
a
: a story of a personal experience
b
: autobiography
usually used in plural
c
2

More from Merriam-Webster on memoir

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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