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View synonyms for

meme

[ meem ]

noun

    1. a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition and replication in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.
    2. a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way.


verb (used without object)

memed, memeing or meming.
  1. to create and spread memes:

    He spends a lot of time memeing and sharing his videos with friends.

verb (used with object)

memed, memeing or meming.
  1. to make the subject of a meme:

    cute cats that get memed.

meme

/ ː /

noun

  1. an idea or element of social behaviour passed on through generations in a culture, esp by imitation
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of meme1

First recorded in 1976; coined by British evolutionary biologist C. Richard Dawkins (born 1941), shortening of Dawkins's original creation mimeme, which was based on Greek ī́ŧ “imitation, copy; artistic representation,” but which Dawkins also wanted to look and sound like gene; mimesis ( def )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of meme1

C20: possibly from mimic , on the model of gene
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The timing led many on the internet to joke that the death of the pope was Vance's fault, a meme of which Yang is no doubt aware.

From

As for the posts, they tend to be memes so swirled with sincerity and irony that they border on postmodern.

From

The site has been rapidly manufacturing memes and sarcastic captions to capitalize — unrestrained by any tariffs — on a hot international export, namely jokes at the expense of the United States and its tariff-loving president.

From

Reports of infestations have been a headline writer and meme maker's dream, but the rodents have proven surprisingly difficult to capture on film.

From

Since pop star Katy Perry returned to Earth earlier this week, the number of memes referencing her brief trip to space has skyrocketed.

From

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