mime

1 of 3

noun

ˈmīm How to pronounce mime (audio)
 also  ˈmēm
1
: an ancient dramatic entertainment representing scenes from life usually in a ridiculous manner
2
a
: an actor in a mime
b
: one that practices mime
3
4

mime

2 of 3

verb

mimed; miming

intransitive verb

: to act a part with mimic gesture and action usually without words

transitive verb

1
: mimic
2
: to act out in the manner of a mime
mimer noun

MIME

3 of 3

abbreviation

multipurpose Internet mail extensions

Examples of mime in a Sentence

Noun an actor with a gift for mime a performance done in mime an actor who is a talented mime Verb He mimed playing a guitar. She mimed picking up the phone and dialing a number.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Michael Urie lends an elastic face and sing-songy intonations to Sir Robin, and Ethan Slater’s dexterous physical humor, as a French mime, an effete prince and a naked puppeteer, is always welcome. Naveen Kumar, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023 Under the influence of such a potent mix, the user sometimes becomes paralyzed, appearing like a mime or a mannequin, frozen in mid-stride on a sidewalk or in the middle of a street. Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023 After the leading character of the piece killed the rest of the crew in a violent hurricane of movement, a trio of mimes arrived to torment the remaining dancer with a cigarette and by humping an invisible box. Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023 From middle school productions of Fame to joining a mime troupe and performing in Hair, Josh was always involved in entertaining others. Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 27 Aug. 2023 Imagine walking into a room full of mimes and pretending to shoot one of them with a bow and arrow, Mastroianni says. Sofia Quaglia, Popular Science, 29 June 2023 Gaga’s Harley Quinn is full-on circus steampunk: bright red blazer, mime makeup, and, of course, harlequin diamonds. Vulture, 25 Mar. 2023 Choosing to forgo the use of traditional ballet mime to further the story, Wheeldon instead built the emotion into dance. Marissa Desantis, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 June 2023 There’s Harley Quinn in full-on circus steampunk: bright-red blazer, mime makeup, and, of course, harlequin diamonds. Vulture, 4 Apr. 2023
Verb
Three stages offered such varied entertainment as Morris dancing, magic, miming, juggling, flame eating, Renaissance music, bawdy ballads, lute and recorder performances, and scenes from William Shakespeare’s plays. Gillian Bagwell, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023 Skye, 28, Harvey, 26, and Bieber, 26, then take their turns in miming the words of her mom. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2023 Throughout the conference, Korine mimed taking puffs of his cigar. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 2 Sep. 2023 Through gestures and miming, Carias learned how to become a puppeteer. Joelle Estelle Mendoza, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2023 In the clip, the ladies can be seen passing around a bottle of Jenner's 818 Tequila brand’s Eight Reserve while jokingly miming along to an audio of Scott Disick offering Jenner’s mother Kris Jenner a drink on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2023 Related In a Tuesday (Aug. 23) TikTok, Gomez lip-synchs along to a piece of dialogue from the NYC-set series, miming a phone call with her hand. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 23 Aug. 2023 Meantime, Vera won’t stop miming imaginary chihuahuas and helping herself to wine glasses full of milk from the hotel bar, before finally showing up in a whole new persona. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 July 2023 Sedgwick said, miming her heart beating out her chest. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 30 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin mimus, from Greek mimos

First Known Use

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1728, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of mime was in 1616

Dictionary Entries Near mime

Cite this Entry

“Mime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mime. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

mime

1 of 2 noun
ˈmīm How to pronounce mime (audio)
ˈmēm
1
a
: an actor in a mime
b
: a person who practices mime
2
3
: an ancient play or skit representing scenes from life usually in a ridiculous manner
4
: the art of showing a character or telling a story by body movements

mime

2 of 2 verb
mimed; miming
1
: to act in a mime
2
: to imitate closely : mimic
3
: to act out in the manner of a mime

More from Merriam-Webster on mime

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