meme stock

noun

plural meme stocks

: a stock (see stock entry 1 sense 2a) that experiences a temporary sudden surge in popularity and price due to a coordinated effort (such as a viral social media campaign) by small investors

… 'meme stock' refers to a stock that attains viral attention on social media platforms, but predominately Reddit.—

Andrew Rocco

The theory was that if enough small investors got in the game and drove the stock higher, it would force large hedge funds with short positions (bets that the stock would fall), to capitulate and sell those positions at a massive loss. … that dynamic appears to be driving the stocks of GameStop, AMC, and other so-called meme stocks.—

Michelle Chapman

Price spikes in several meme stocks appear to be linked to the amount of talk about them on r/WallStreetBets, a forum on Reddit, a discussion website whose users are known for mischief-making. From this comes the name: an internet meme being an idea or behaviour, usually a humorous one, spread via social media.—

The Economist

—often hyphenated before another noun

meme-stock investors

the meme-stock craze

Examples of meme stock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At the peak of the meme stock frenzy this past month, the company’s shares traded at a high of $48.75. —

Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 28 May 2024 Professional and institutional investors (i.e. the very hedge funds that the meme stock movement sees as a foe) have access to more expertise and information than retail investors. —

Meagan Andrews, Fortune, 27 May 2024 Meme stocks decline Interest in meme stocks like GameStop and AMC has waned following Roaring Kitty's exit from social media. —

Detroit Free Press, 25 May 2024 GameStop had experienced declining sales amid an industrywide pivot from game cartridges to video game streaming and digital downloads, but with the help from meme stock investors, last March the company turned its first profit in two years. —

Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 13 May 2024 Enough people snatched up shares of meme stocks that even major hedge funds took a hit. —

Nick Kasmik, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024 Gill led the early 2021 meme stock rally, which sent GameStop’s shares skyrocketing 1,000% in a matter of weeks. —

Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 28 May 2024 The trampoline-like performance of the company is becoming something of a pattern as retail investors battle short sellers over the meme stock. —

Chris Morris, Fortune, 28 May 2024 Other meme stocks from the pandemic era are moving just as radically. —

Stan Choe, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meme stock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.