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
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 represent a first-class investigation—J. A. Steers
J. A. Steers
b
memoirs plural
: the record of the proceedings of a learned society
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
In his new memoir, Federline is alleging new disturbing details from Sean Preston and Jayden James’ child, as well as critiquing the #FreeBritney movement.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
This gut-punch of a memoir—a finalist for the 1997 National Book Award—is a chronicle of his brief life.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Kevin Federline claims that Britney Spears drank while pregnant and did cocaine while breastfeeding in new excerpts from the former dancer’s upcoming memoir, published in several news outlets.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
The book is on track to be one of the best-selling memoirs of this year.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for memoir
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Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
This gut-punch of a memoir—a finalist for the 1997 National Book Award—is a chronicle of his brief life.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Kevin Federline claims that Britney Spears drank while pregnant and did cocaine while breastfeeding in new excerpts from the former dancer’s upcoming memoir, published in several news outlets.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
The book is on track to be one of the best-selling memoirs of this year.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for memoir
Cite this Entry
“Memoir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memoir. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
memoir
noun
mem·oir
ˈmem-ˌwär 
-ˌwȯ(ə)r
1
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