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 represents 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 of memoir

• biography
• autobiography

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

This seems like a good moment to transition to another memoir—In the Garden of Memory—which, like Artem’s book, deals deeply with family and history. —Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025

Tupelo Following Lisa Marie's death, Keough finished her mom's memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, which was published in October 2024. —Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025

Here, my picks for the top 10 memoirs of the year. —Nicole Chung, Time, 16 Dec. 2025

Of the countless memoirs dwelling on the Cuban revolution of 1959, Sheppard’s may be the most heart wrenching and the most beautifully written. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French memoire, from memoire memory, from Latin memoria

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for memoir

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• ansar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar

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