noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
mēm
/miːm/
rhymes with -iːm
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:M IY1 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Any unit of (originally cultural) information, such as a practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another in a comparable way to the transmission of genes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: originally
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: culturgen
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Media, usually humorous, which is copied and circulated online with slight adaptations, such as basic pictures, video templates, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet
Examples
He posted a meme that went viral within a few hours on social media.
He stuck memes on the wall to campaign for the position of President.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A specific instance of a meme, such as an image macro or a video, often with humorous superimposed text.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet
Examples
This meme generator lets you make your own memes by adding a caption to existing images, or by uploading your own image.
I'm always posting memes on the groupchat.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Something which is deceptive; a trick, a ruse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet, derogatory
Examples
It's a meme degree, you know. Good luck getting a job from that.
I can't believe I fell for the bulking meme.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Something not to be taken seriously; a joke.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet, derogatory
Examples
It's a meme degree, you know. Good luck getting a job from that.
Jogging is a meme.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A work produced and shared in response to a prompt or suggestion within an online group.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet
Examples
kink meme
anon meme
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
granny; nana
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Qualifier: term of endearment
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To create and use humorous memes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To turn into a meme; to use a meme, especially to achieve a goal in real life.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: memeify
Antonyms: none provided
10
verb
Meaning 10
To joke around.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Internet, broadly, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one person to another by non-genetic means (as by imitation)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
memes are the cultural counterpart of genes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: acculturation, culture
History
Etymology
Clipping of mimeme, equivalent to mime + -eme. Coined by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976 in his book The Selfish Gene. Shortened (after gene) from mimeme (compare English phoneme), anglicized as if from a noun derived from Ancient Greek μῑμέομαι (mīméomai) with the deverbal suffix -μα (-ma), from μῖμος (mîmos, “imitation, copy”). The concept was later applied to the Internet by Mike Godwin.
From French mémé (“granny”).
Across languages
Translations
100 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
meem
— unit of cultural information
Arabic:
مِيم
(mīm)
— unit of cultural information
Belarusian:
мем
(mjem)
— unit of cultural information
Breton:
mim
— unit of cultural information
Bulgarian:
мем
(mem)
— unit of cultural information
Catalan:
mem
— unit of cultural information
Chinese Mandarin:
模因
(móyīn)
— unit of cultural information
Chinese Mandarin:
迷迷
(mímí)
— unit of cultural information
Chinese Mandarin:
米姆
(mǐmǔ)
— unit of cultural information
Chinese Mandarin:
迷因
(míyīn)
— unit of cultural information
Chinese Mandarin:
彌 /弥
(mí)
— unit of cultural information
Chinese Mandarin:
梗
(gěng)
— unit of cultural information
Czech:
mem
— unit of cultural information
Dutch:
meme
— unit of cultural information
Dutch:
meem
— unit of cultural information
Esperanto:
memeo
— unit of cultural information
Estonian:
meem
— unit of cultural information
Finnish:
meemi
— unit of cultural information
French:
mème
— unit of cultural information
Galician:
meme
— unit of cultural information
German:
Mem
— unit of cultural information
Greek:
μιμίδιο
(mimídio)
— unit of cultural information
Hebrew:
מֵם
(mem)
— unit of cultural information
Hindi:
मीम
(mīm)
— unit of cultural information
Hungarian:
mém
— unit of cultural information
Ido:
memo
— unit of cultural information
Indonesian:
meme
— unit of cultural information
Irish:
gné
— unit of cultural information
Italian:
meme
— unit of cultural information
Japanese:
ミーム
(mīmu)
— unit of cultural information
Korean:
밈
(mim)
— unit of cultural information
Latin:
mīmēma
— unit of cultural information
Macedonian:
мем
(mem)
— unit of cultural information
Macedonian:
ја́сјас
(jásjas)
— unit of cultural information
Norwegian:
mem
— unit of cultural information
Polish:
mem
— unit of cultural information
Portuguese:
meme
— unit of cultural information
Romanian:
memă
— unit of cultural information
Russian:
мем
(mem)
— unit of cultural information
Serbo-Croatian:
ме̑м
— unit of cultural information
Serbo-Croatian:
mȇm
— unit of cultural information
Spanish:
meme
— unit of cultural information
Swedish:
mem
— unit of cultural information
Thai:
มีม
(miim)
— unit of cultural information
Turkish:
mem
— unit of cultural information
Ukrainian:
мем
(mem)
— unit of cultural information
Yiddish:
מעמע
(meme)
— unit of cultural information
Arabic:
مِيم
(mīm)
— media copied and circulated online
Arabic:
م
(mīm)
— media copied and circulated online
Arabic:
ميمي
(mīmī)
— media copied and circulated online
Breton:
mim
— media copied and circulated online
Bulgarian:
мем
(mem)
— media copied and circulated online
Catalan:
mem
— media copied and circulated online
Chinese Mandarin:
模因
(móyīn)
— media copied and circulated online
Chinese Mandarin:
迷迷
(mímí)
— media copied and circulated online
Chinese Mandarin:
米姆
(mǐmǔ)
— media copied and circulated online
Chinese Mandarin:
迷因
(míyīn)
— media copied and circulated online
Chinese Mandarin:
彌 /弥
(mí)
— media copied and circulated online
Chinese Mandarin:
梗
(gěng)
— media copied and circulated online
Chinese Mandarin:
哏
(gén)
— media copied and circulated online
Cornish:
mim
— media copied and circulated online
Dutch:
meme
— media copied and circulated online
Esperanto:
memeo
— media copied and circulated online
Estonian:
meem
— media copied and circulated online
Finnish:
meemi
— media copied and circulated online
French:
mème
— media copied and circulated online
Galician:
meme
— media copied and circulated online
German:
Meme
— media copied and circulated online
Hebrew:
מימ
(mim)
— media copied and circulated online
Hebrew:
מם
(mem)
— media copied and circulated online
Hindi:
मीम
(mīm)
— media copied and circulated online
Hungarian:
mém
— media copied and circulated online
Icelandic:
jarm
— media copied and circulated online
Ido:
memo
— media copied and circulated online
Indonesian:
meme
— media copied and circulated online
Irish:
méim
— media copied and circulated online
Italian:
meme
— media copied and circulated online
Japanese:
ミーム
(mīmu)
— media copied and circulated online
Korean:
밈
(mim)
— media copied and circulated online
Latin:
mīmēma
— media copied and circulated online
Macedonian:
мем
(mem)
— media copied and circulated online
Māori:
atakata
— media copied and circulated online
Polish:
mem
— media copied and circulated online
Portuguese:
meme
— media copied and circulated online
Romanian:
memă
— media copied and circulated online
Russian:
мем
(mem)
— media copied and circulated online
Scottish Gaelic:
mìm
— media copied and circulated online
Serbo-Croatian:
мим
— media copied and circulated online
Serbo-Croatian:
mim
— media copied and circulated online
Slovak:
mém
— media copied and circulated online
Slovak:
memečko
— media copied and circulated online
Spanish:
meme
— media copied and circulated online
Spanish:
momo
— media copied and circulated online
Swedish:
meme
— media copied and circulated online
Thai:
มีม
(miim)
— media copied and circulated online
Turkish:
göğüs
— media copied and circulated online
Turkish:
meme
— media copied and circulated online
Ukrainian:
мем
(mem)
— media copied and circulated online
Welsh:
meim
— media copied and circulated online
Yiddish:
מים
(mim)
— media copied and circulated online
