memo

noun

ˈme-(ˌ)mō 

plural memos

: a usually brief written message or report : memorandum

Use headlines, bullets, and lists to organize the memo and the proposal.

—Inc. Magazine

When your boss asks you to find a memo you wrote a year ago, it's hard to remember what you named it.

—Susan Kelley

Phrases

get the memo

informal + often humorous

: to hear about or become aware of something generally known

—typically used in negative constructions to point to someone's surprising lack of awareness, to say that something did not happen as expected, etc.

Officials often warn tourists not to enter the water, but several tourists searching for that perfect Instagram photo apparently did not get the memo.

—The San Francisco Chronicle

The calendar may say only five more days until fall, but mother nature did not get the memo. It is going to be hot and feel even hotter over the next couple of days.

—Carrie Duncan

You're not still wearing those acid-washed jeans, are you? Tube socks and shorts? … OK, so no one told you. You didn't get the memo. Those things went out with neckties the size of small landing strips.

—Christine Keating

It was expected to be a five-set test of endurance … But, Edberg apparently did not get the memo because he just dominated Courier and captured his first- ever U.S. Open title with a straight set triumph at the National Tennis Center in New York.

—Van Earl Wright

Synonyms

• letter
• epistle

Examples of memo in a Sentence

He sent a memo to the staff.

a long series of memos between the two authors collaborating on the book

Recent Examples on the Web

His death was officially ruled a suicide by New York City's medical examiner and reconfirmed in a joint memo by the DOJ and FBI. —Anna Commander gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025

To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to [e-mail]. —Laura Kwerel, NPR, 4 Aug. 2025

In the wake of the shooting, the NFL temporarily closed its office Tuesday, with Goodell writing in a memo that employees should plan to work remotely at least through Aug. 8. —Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025

The commissioner on Thursday sent a memo to the city clerk, the city manager and other commissioners, requesting to hold a special commission meeting to discuss the city’s recent election date changes. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing memo

• counter-memo

Rhymes for memo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

memo

noun

ˈmem-ō 

plural memos

: memorandum