Log in or Sign up

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

Wiktionary

  1. n. Any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, practices, habits, songs, dances and moods and terms such as race, culture, and ethnicity.
  2. n. A self-propagating unit of cultural evolution having a resemblance to the gene (the unit of genetics).
  3. n. A quiz or survey that is copied from one webpage or online journal to another, each participant filling in his or her personal answers.
  4. n. Something, such as a funny event or story, song, video, photo, or catchphrase, that becomes viral (spreads rapidly between users).

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one person to another by non-genetic means (as by imitation)

Etymologies

  1. Shortening (modeled on gene) of mimeme, from Greek mimēma, something imitated, from mimeisthai, to imitate; see mimesis.

Examples

Show 10 more examples...

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘meme’.

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • dontcry I don't use it all the time -- just as often as appropriate. I find it quite handy. Mar 6, 2009

  • chained_bear Not a fan of it myself... till I saw this. Mar 6, 2009

  • dimã©lion not a fan of this word. Nov 16, 2008

  • immerbeta Dan Dennett talked about memes and dangerous ideas at TED 2002 Sep 21, 2008

  • colleen :D Sep 22, 2007

  • npydyuan Whoops: delayed page refresh. Uselessness beat me to the reference recognition comment.
    *cool points demerit* Sep 22, 2007

  • npydyuan Inconceivable! Sep 22, 2007

  • uselessness You mean like people who say meme all the time, and don't really know what it means? Why, that would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways, inconceivable. Sep 22, 2007

  • colleen Actually, 82, I thought memesta was clever! I'm absolutely in favor of madeupical words, as John says -- my issue is with the people who... how to put it? I think I must turn to the words of a man greater than I: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Sep 22, 2007

  • reesetee Widespread Misuse. Good band name. ;-) Sep 21, 2007

  • 82times oh, meem, of course. there is no question about that. i'm just hoping i'm not part of the "widespread misuse." :! Sep 21, 2007

  • john Dissed why, because you coined a variant? Madeupical words are encouraged. I imagine colleen will be ok with memesta, as long as it's pronounced meemsta as opposed to, say, rhyming with lunesta :-) Sep 21, 2007

  • uselessness How do you say it? Sep 21, 2007

  • 82times i feel like i just got dissed. Sep 21, 2007

  • colleen the widespread misuse of this term on the web is probably a meme unto itself.

    and pronounced, I believe, as meem. not mehm, not mimi, people: meem.

    oh, so many rants, so little time... Sep 21, 2007

  • seanahan Coined by Richard Dawkins. Sep 21, 2007

‘meme’ has been looked up 3368 times, loved by 11 people, added to 115 lists, commented on 16 times, and has a Scrabble score of 8.