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 of souvenir

• 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

Snapchat mastermind and man who gets a lot of money to play soccer, Erling Haaland, is out of the World Cup and headed back to Norway, but not without some souvenirs. — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 July 2026

Mulder and van Ravestein mentioned the frenzy surrounding the Heinz pickle pin, a coveted souvenir at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. — Emma Allen, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Prince Michael and his sons, Prince James and Prince Liam, now sell souvenirs online, including stamps, hoodies, flags — even personalized Sealand email addresses. — Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 12 July 2026

There are souvenirs from the Paris Inn Café, the longtime downtown establishment considered the city’s first Italian restaurant, and Casa D’Amore, the former Hollywood restaurant credited with introducing Southern California to pizza. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

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