✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

memoir

noun

mem·​oir ˈmem-ˌwär How to pronounce memoir (audio)
-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 noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The quick-thinking Secretary of War immediately starts live-streaming the event before being accosted by Director of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who ends up shooting a dog in a scenario seemingly plucked from Noem’s memoir, which caused a stir during the 2024 election. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025 Ethan had a role in the 2004 Kate Hudson film Raising Helen, and was also a model who appeared in campaigns for designers like Isaac Mizrahi, according to producer Mark Ronson’s memoir Night People. Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025 Hook’s memoir vividly describes daily life. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025 Oh alleges Giuffre defamed her in social media posts, a memoir and a podcast by portraying her as an accomplice to Epstein rather than a victim. Simon Crerar, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for memoir

Word History

Etymology

Middle French memoire, from memoire memory, from Latin memoria

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of memoir was in 1571

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Memoir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memoir. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

memoir

noun
mem·​oir ˈmem-ˌwär How to pronounce memoir (audio)
-ˌwȯ(ə)r
1
a
: a story of a personal experience
b
: autobiography
usually used in plural
c
2

More from Merriam-Webster on memoir

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!