memo

noun

ˈme-(ˌ)mō 

plural memos

: a usually brief written message or report : memorandum

Use headlines, bullets, and lists to organize the memo and the proposal.

—Inc. Magazine

When your boss asks you to find a memo you wrote a year ago, it's hard to remember what you named it.

—Susan Kelley

Phrases

get the memo

informal + often humorous

: to hear about or become aware of something generally known

—typically used in negative constructions to point to someone's surprising lack of awareness, to say that something did not happen as expected, etc.

Officials often warn tourists not to enter the water, but several tourists searching for that perfect Instagram photo apparently did not get the memo.

—The San Francisco Chronicle

The calendar may say only five more days until fall, but mother nature did not get the memo. It is going to be hot and feel even hotter over the next couple of days.

—Carrie Duncan

You're not still wearing those acid-washed jeans, are you? Tube socks and shorts? … OK, so no one told you. You didn't get the memo. Those things went out with neckties the size of small landing strips.

—Christine Keating

It was expected to be a five-set test of endurance … But, Edberg apparently did not get the memo because he just dominated Courier and captured his first- ever U.S. Open title with a straight set triumph at the National Tennis Center in New York.

—Van Earl Wright

Synonyms

• letter
• epistle

Examples of memo in a Sentence

He sent a memo to the staff.

a long series of memos between the two authors collaborating on the book

Recent Examples on the Web

Troops who still need treatment after a year will be separated from service, the memo says. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025

In other animal news at Disney World, the resort revealed in an internal memo sent to staffers and later obtained by EW that all live dolphins will be removed from the Epcot park's marine life attraction, called the Seas With Nemo & Friends. —Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025

This article details how to use ChatGPT to transform raw, unorganized notes—like scribbles, doodles, and voice memos—into polished, publishable thought leadership content. —Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

The controversy traces back to a January 20, 2025, memo from Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell that instructed agencies to list all probationary employees within four days, update those lists daily, and then justify any decision to keep them. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing memo

• counter-memo

Rhymes for memo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

memo

noun

ˈmem-ō 

plural memos

: memorandum