plural GIFs
: a computer file format for the compression and storage of visual digital information
also
: an image or video stored in this format
Using emoji, emoticons and GIFs in a texted conversation instantly signals the difference between sincerity and a joke or sarcasm. —
Jenna Wortham
see also reaction gif
Jenna Wortham Examples of GIF in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Any small and forgettable moment caught on camera, a cutaway shot shown on a national broadcast, can live on as a GIF.
—Candace Buckner, New York Times, 4 May 2026
And her son is … The ever-GIF-able English hunk has his own devoted fan base with their own slightly NSFW moniker.
—Alison Schwartz, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Raster file types include GIF, JPG, PNG, and TIFF.
—Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026
In Scrapper that would have had to have been a GIF or something.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
More than a decade after the show went off the air, a scene at the end of the show’s third season became a GIF.
—Mark Kennedy, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
The moment the poster went live on Instagram, commenters rushed in to post that one GIF of Spider-Man fighting Batman (for Zendaya).
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 3 Feb. 2026
Bettor-1 texted Clase a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper right after that pitch, according to the indictment.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
Live Photos can also be turned into GIF-like images.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Candace Buckner, New York Times, 4 May 2026
And her son is … The ever-GIF-able English hunk has his own devoted fan base with their own slightly NSFW moniker.
—Alison Schwartz, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Raster file types include GIF, JPG, PNG, and TIFF.
—Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 2026
In Scrapper that would have had to have been a GIF or something.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
More than a decade after the show went off the air, a scene at the end of the show’s third season became a GIF.
—Mark Kennedy, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
The moment the poster went live on Instagram, commenters rushed in to post that one GIF of Spider-Man fighting Batman (for Zendaya).
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 3 Feb. 2026
Bettor-1 texted Clase a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper right after that pitch, according to the indictment.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
Live Photos can also be turned into GIF-like images.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“GIF.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/GIF. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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