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
One of the latest celebs to release a memoir is Tina Knowles.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 15 May 2025
Bono laid bare his transformation from Dublin lad Paul Hewson into a global rock star and human rights crusader in his memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 15 May 2025
His award-winning memoir, A Sense of Duty: Our Journey from Vietnam to America (2005, Penguin Random House), detailed his military journey, including reuniting with his father who spent twelve years in prison camps in postwar Vietnam.
—Quang X. Pham, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
The memoir, which arrives in the U.K. on Sept. 18 and North America on Oct. 7, chronicles Stevens’ life and career.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for memoir
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Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 15 May 2025
Bono laid bare his transformation from Dublin lad Paul Hewson into a global rock star and human rights crusader in his memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 15 May 2025
His award-winning memoir, A Sense of Duty: Our Journey from Vietnam to America (2005, Penguin Random House), detailed his military journey, including reuniting with his father who spent twelve years in prison camps in postwar Vietnam.
—Quang X. Pham, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
The memoir, which arrives in the U.K. on Sept. 18 and North America on Oct. 7, chronicles Stevens’ life and career.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 13 May 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 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
memoir
noun
mem·oir
ˈmem-ˌwär 
-ˌwȯ(ə)r
1
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