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\ ˈmīm 
also ˈmēm \
also ˈmēm \Definition of mime
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : an ancient dramatic entertainment representing scenes from life usually in a ridiculous manner
2a : an actor in a mime
b : one that practices mime
3 : mimic sense 2
mime
verbmimed; miming
Definition of mime (Entry 2 of 3)
: to act a part with mimic gesture and action usually without words
MIME
abbreviationDefinition of MIME (Entry 3 of 3)
multipurpose Internet mail extensions
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Trump clutched his throat and lolled his tongue in a somewhat graphic mime of choking.
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Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, "Ahead of South Carolina, Donald Trump’s Debate Tips for Democrats," 24 Feb. 2020 Letitia said her little sister belonged to Creston High School’s mime troupe, acted in several plays and competed in Speech contests.
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Andrea Cavallier, NBC News, "Woman still searching for justice in sister Corinne Perry's murder nearly 40 years after she was killed after leaving Iowa laundromat," 10 Apr. 2020 To prepare for the role, Eisenberg spent nine months training with the mime Lorin Eric Salm, who’d been a student of Marceau’s in France for years before his death in 2007.
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Isaac Feldberg, Fortune, "For Jesse Eisenberg, WWII biopic ‘Resistance’ and sci-fi nightmare ‘Vivarium’ both hit close to home," 26 Mar. 2020 Jesse Eisenberg plays Marcel Marceau in Jonathan Jakubowicz's tale of the famed mime's Word War II heroism.
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John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Resistance': Film Review," 26 Mar. 2020 After Khloé decided to handcuff a mime to her mom to add some humor and light-heartedness to her day, Jenner struck back by giving her daughter a little taste of her own medicine.
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Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE.com, "The Top 5 Greatest Kris Jenner Pranks of All Time," 5 Nov. 2019 Sobelle, a kinetic performer trained in the arts of clowning and mime, slides a few panels of the frame of a house across the stage and proceeds to attach a plastic tarp with a staple gun.
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Los Angeles Times, "Review: Now you live here, now you don’t. How ‘Home’ works its magic at the Broad Stage," 6 Mar. 2020 Instead, the actors gather in four groups on stage and mime the action of being tossed about by the waves.
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Mary Carole Mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "In real life they were white men. This Baltimore play uses women, people of color to tell their story.," 13 Dec. 2019 The human circus with all kinds of what-did-I-just-see aerialists, fire knife dancers, acrobats, trapeze artists, balance acts, jugglers, mimes, musicians and singers has been reinterpreted for a run from Dec. 13-Feb.
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Rod Stafford Hagwood, sun-sentinel.com, "Derring-do deux? Cirque du Soleil gives ‘Alegria’ a makeover," 5 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Among his favorite bits is miming Nadal's penchant for longer shorts, rolling up his sleeves and crouching prior to receiving a serve.
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Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, "With ticket to Wimbledon final punched, relive funniest moments from Novak Djokovic's career," 12 July 2019 Watching the wild ending again, Liz thinks back to Ron miming shooting all the kids, who gleefully play dead.
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David Gordon, Harper's magazine, "The Forty-Year Rehearsal," 6 Jan. 2020 As one actor mimes a camel ride, the kids laugh raucously.
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Lily Altavena, azcentral, "Childsplay brings theater, imagination, into Arizona schools and your donations help them do it," 5 Jan. 2020 Some movements were big, like Greenlee’s, who crouched and mimed turning the wheel of a car.
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Washington Post, "A choreographer works to bring dance to the disabled," 3 Dec. 2019 In February, Gucci issued an apology and pulled a wool balaclava jumper that retailed for $890 from its shelves after online critics accused the turtleneck of miming blackface.
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Katie Mettler, Washington Post, "Gucci’s straitjackets draw a model’s silent protest on the runway: ‘Mental health is not fashion’," 23 Sep. 2019 Mostert lies in the end zone, mimes paddling out on a board, then leaps up into a surf stance.
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Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Mostert’s surfing pals revel in 49ers RB’s rise: ‘Everyone is hyped’," 27 Jan. 2020 The clown reportedly also mimed crying expressions as Jack went over the paperwork describing his termination.
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Washington Post, "He thought he might lose his job. So he brought an emotional support clown to work.," 14 Sep. 2019 Reynolds, whom the Phillies would send to mime school in order to enhance his skills, would personify the Phanatic for the next 16 seasons.
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Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Will Phillies Have to Ditch Phillie Phanatic Mascot?," 6 Aug. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mime.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for mime
mime
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of mime
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a form of entertainment in which a performer plays a character or tells a story without words by using body movements and facial expressions
: a performance done without speaking : a performance using mime
: a performer who uses mime
mime
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of mime (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make the movements of someone who is doing (something) without actually doing it
See the full definition for mime in the English Language Learners Dictionary
mime
noun\ ˈmīm \
\Kids Definition of mime
1 : the art of showing a character or telling a story using body movements and gestures without words
2 : a person who performs mime
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Time Traveler for mime
The first known use of mime was in 1616
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