1
as in performer
an actor in a story performed silently and entirely by body movements
that annoying mime on the sidewalk is pretending to be in an invisible box again
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2
as in gesture
a movement of the body or limbs that expresses or emphasizes an idea or feeling
the speech-impaired patient had to convey his wishes with mime or scribbled notes
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to imitate
to use (someone or something) as the model for one's speech, mannerisms, or behavior
as a joke, Eric knelt by the dinner table and began miming a dog begging for food
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mime
Miles Socha, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
Instead, someone hands me a wooden pole with a piece of foam taped around one end and mimes poking the machine in its chest.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Stray Cat, in full black latex, mimed licking her paws.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mime
Noun
Born into a highly artistic family in San Juan, and painting and drawing since pre-school, del Valle first twigged to power of movement at age 11, when her parents took her to see French mime artist Marcel Marceau.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
Instead, someone hands me a wooden pole with a piece of foam taped around one end and mimes poking the machine in its chest.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Verb
At the snap, the three tight ends – Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen – mimed a run block, just for a beat.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Stray Cat, in full black latex, mimed licking her paws.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mime
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mime
Noun
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The documentary highlights Michaels’ transition from in-ring performer to his work shaping the next generation of talent, offering insight into his influence behind the scenes.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
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Brandy joined Goldberg Wednesday morning for an interview on The View, with the pop star promoting her new memoir, Phases, and reflecting on her time acting alongside the Oscar-winning Ghost performer in Cinderella.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Hojgaard and defending champion Min Woo Lee (67) chose to stay back on their way to the 18th green to give Woodland the stage to himself, a gesture rarely seen outside the majors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
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In addition to tilt and pressure sensitivity, the Apple Pencil Pro adds squeeze and delete functions to the palette, along with a new barrel roll gesture and haptic vibrational feedback.—
Cierra Cowan,
PC Magazine,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The gulls weren’t directly imitating the act of eating.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
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The gulls weren’t imitating human eating directly but were using the human’s choice as a cue to guide their own foraging decisions.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In other words, reconstruction in Gaza will remain a cruel diplomatic pantomime, while millions of people huddle in tents waiting for the next humanitarian aid box.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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White pulled up in transition, tucking the ball toward his chin in a pantomime of his shot.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On a party count, that is 4-3 for the Dems and the one-for-you, one-for-me bipartisan staffing copies the Board of Elections.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Every time the virus copies itself inside a cell, its genetic material mutates.—
Kyle B. Enfield,
The Conversation,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Three years have passed since the stadium-sized clown show of the duo’s last record, 10,000 gecs, and Brady’s been feverishly cooking up unlikely collaborations and solo material.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
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Christopher Kosakowski, United States, 2025 A circus clown celebrating his birthday alone receives a mysterious gift box harboring an antique zoetrope that spins his world into mayhem.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At least for now, Bath’s example illustrates the possibilities in terms of both promise and avenues for development—by emulating nature (selecting hardy strains of Bacillus) and pharmaceutical engineering (capsule technology), civil engineers are rethinking concrete from the inside out.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
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California is often a political staging ground for progressive initiatives on issues such as environmental safeguards, worker rights and protections for minorities that are then emulated by other Democratic states and used by Republicans to attack Democrats in swing areas.—
Joseph Ax,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Scenic designer Matthew Herman created a rectangular center stage with LED panel lighting by Sammy Webster that mimics the flourescent office lights of the past but explodes with color in a surprise dancing-on-the-tables scene.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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In addition to structural problems, the sign will also be relit, possibly with LED lights designed to mimic the original neon.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mime.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mime. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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