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 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 investigation

—J. A. Steers

b

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

memoirist

ˈmem-ˌwär-ist 

-ˌwȯr-

noun

Synonyms

• bio
• biography
• life

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

Now, Blanchard will package her story into a more coherent format with My Time to Stand, her first memoir. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2024

While in conversation with Erika D. Smith on April 20 at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the Scandal actress, 47, opened up about the experience of learning that her father, Earl, was not biologically related to her right as she was set to sell her memoir Thicker Than Water. —Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French memoire, from memoire memory, from Latin memoria

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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