souvenir

noun

sou·​ve·​nir ˈsü-və-ˌnir 

ˌsü-və-ˈnir

: something kept as a reminder (as of a place one has visited)

a souvenir of her travels

a souvenir shop

Synonyms

• reminder
• memorial

Examples of souvenir in a Sentence

When I went to the Super Bowl, I kept my ticket stub as a souvenir.

kept their love letters as souvenirs of their courtship

Recent Examples on the Web

Entry fees vary and include a goody bag, souvenir shirt and finisher medal. —Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2025

Visitors began chipping away pieces of his headstone, taking them as souvenirs. —Aya Al-Hakim, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025

Murphy has studied early rodeo photography, too, particularly the souvenir postcards that proliferated after the Wild West shows died out and things like Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Pendleton Round-Up took over. —Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

The room is lined with hanging Navajo rugs, prominent among the souvenirs that few will peruse this fall. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 5 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, act of remembering, from Middle French, from (se) souvenir to remember, from Latin subvenire to come up, come to mind — more at subvention

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing souvenir

• souvenir sheet
• souvenir shop

Rhymes for souvenir

• auctioneer
• bandelier
• belvedere
• bombardier
• brigadier
• buccaneer
• cavalier
• chandelier
• chanticleer
• chevalier
• commandeer
• disappear

Kids Definition

souvenir

noun

sou·​ve·​nir ˈsü-və-ˌni(ə)r 

ˌsü-və-ˈni(ə)r

: something that serves as a reminder : memento