memento

noun me·men·to \ mə-ˈmen-(ˌ)tō , nonstandard mō- \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Examples: memento in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of memento

plural mementos or mementoes

: something that serves to warn or remind

a museum filled with war mementos
—Libby Lubin

also : souvenir

mementos of their travels

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Examples of memento in a Sentence

a collection of photographs and mementos
It was a memento of our trip.

Recent Examples of memento from the Web

Whether it's being used to identify themselves to coalition fighter jets, mark territory claimed on the battlefield, or serve as a vivid and cherished memento, the American flag serves many a purpose among our forces down range.

— andrew keiper, Fox News, "Why US forces carry the American flag," 4 July 2018
At the memorial, Ronning set up a table filled with mementos.

— greg moore, azcentral, "Moore: Local boxing writer Don Smith remembered as modern-day Mark Twain," 12 June 2018
And any piece of it could serve as your memento of the bar's long-standing and vital role in the nightlife culture of Bucktown and Logan Square.

— leor galil, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Music / Visual Art You can (almost) buy Wesley Willis’s drawing of Quenchers," 6 June 2018
The celebration included a daylong open house, with mementos and opportunities for former student disc jockeys to get back on the mic.

— jesse wright, chicagotribune.com, "Former DJs, managers help celebrate 50 years of high school radio station WLTL," 22 Apr. 2018
Turns out, there’s a lot of tech, but also mementos, entertainment options, and natural health remedies... so many natural health remedies.

— dani deahl, The Verge, "What’s In Your Bag, Cash Cash?," 20 Apr. 2018
The case holds mementos, respectful nods to a longtime employee who passed away.

— marc bona, cleveland.com, "Vaccaro's Trattoria keeps focus on all things Italian - family, food, wine (review)," 12 Apr. 2018
The roommates packed plenty into their trip to these Olympics and leave with more than one lasting memento.

— rachel axon, USA TODAY, "American skiers David Wise, Alex Ferreira finish 1-2 in halfpipe at 2018 Winter Olympics," 22 Feb. 2018
And still, an upstairs room is filled with mementos, photographs, maps, plaques, news clippings and boxes.

— michael e. ruane, Washington Post, "This brave ex-chaplain is still haunted by the Vietnam War’s most desperate siege," 22 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'memento.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Memento comes from the imperative form of "meminisse," a Latin verb that literally means "to remember." (The term memento mori, meaning "a reminder of mortality," translates as "remember that you must die.") The history of "memento" makes it clear where its spelling came from, but because a memento often helps one remember a particular moment, people occasionally spell the term "momento." That second version is usually considered a misspelling, but it appears often enough in edited prose to have been considered acceptable for entry in Webster's Third New International Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary.