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

The gaming retail chain made famous in the 2021 meme stock craze will need billions more to actually buy eBay, whose market value is now $48 billion. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 May 2026

In another unexpected turn of events, meme stock GameStop made a bid to fully acquire e-commerce platform eBay. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 4 May 2026

GameStop, of course, became one of the most famous meme stocks in 2021, when retail traders piled into its shares and briefly turned the struggling video game retailer into a symbol of Wall Street rebellion. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 4 May 2026

GameStop — which became a household name during the meme stock craze of 2021 — has offered $125 per share for eBay, half in cash and half in stock, the company announced Sunday. —Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2019, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for meme stock

• aftershock
• antiknock
• arawak
• hollyhock
• interlock
• isopach
• manioc
• shuttlecock
• tomahawk
• weathercock
• alcock
• beanstalk