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 represent 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

• bio
• biography
• life

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

Aaron Cohen is the author of Move On Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power (University of Chicago Press), Amazing Grace (Bloomsbury) and is the co-author of Ramsey Lewis' memoir, Gentleman Of Jazz (Blackstone). —Aaron Cohen, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024

He’s got a big year taking shape in 2024 with the rollout of Wicked, and it was just announced that on July 23, Chu will release a memoir, Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen, in partnership with Random House and co-author Jeremy McCarter. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024

Find your favorite genre: Three new memoirs tell stories of struggle and resilience, while five recent historical novels offer a window into other times. —Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

Meanwhile, Wilson continues to promote her memoir in the United States. —Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024

In 2023, the singer-songwriter published Talking to My Angels, her second memoir after 2001’s The Truth Is …: My Life in Love and Music. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024

The new mom, 43, and her baby boy, 15 months, enjoyed some time in St. Barts this week, sharing an adorable video of son Phoenix having fun with Hilton's memoir by the beach. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

This vibrant memoir recalls the author’s childhood on the traditional lands of the Quechan (Yuma) people on a reservation in California, and in a Navajo Nation border town in New Mexico. —The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Zwick’s memoir is filled with enough bold-faced names for a dozen old-fashioned gossip columns: Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meg Ryan ... and on and on. —Rick Kogan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French memoire, from memoire memory, from Latin memoria

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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