memoir

noun

mem·​oir ˈmem-ˌwär 

-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 recall …

—Abigail McCarthy

b

: autobiography

—usually 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 represents a first-class investigation.

—J. A. Steers

b

memoirs plural : the record of the proceedings of a learned society

memoirist

ˈmem-ˌwär-ist 

-ˌwȯr-

noun

Synonyms of memoir

• biography
• autobiography

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

This account comes after the Sussexes pulled their kids from one school after one of the moms in the WhatsApp group leaked Markle’s number to the press, and the recent release of Charles Spencer’s memoir about his sister, Princess Diana. — Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 29 Sep. 2026

In her memoir released earlier this year, Panettiere acknowledged being addicted to alcohol and having postpartum depression after her daughter’s birth in 2014. — Andrew Dalton, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

The claim was made this week by Charles Spencer himself, the ninth Earl Spencer, in Swan Song, his controversial memoir about his sister Princess Diana. — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026

In this exclusive excerpt from her memoir My Life on the Road, the writer and feminist activist reveals the harassment and discrimination women crew members faced in the '60s and '70s. — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French memoire, from memoire memory, from Latin memoria

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for memoir

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• alvar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar

Kids Definition

memoir

noun

mem·​oir ˈmem-ˌwär 

-ˌwȯ(ə)r

1

a

: a story of a personal experience

b

: autobiography

—usually used in plural

c

: biography

2

: report entry 1 sense 2