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
mimed; miming
: to act a part with mimic gesture and action usually without words
mimer
noun
multipurpose Internet mail extensions
Synonyms
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
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
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
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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
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.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
mime
1 of 2 noun
ˈmīm 
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
More from Merriam-Webster on mime
Nglish: Translation of mime for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mime for Arabic Speakers
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