1
: an official note or report : memorandum
2
a
: a narrative composed from personal experience
every memoir reminds us of the faraway and long ago, of loss and change, of persons and places beyond recall—
Abigail McCarthy
Abigail McCarthy
b
: autobiography
—usually used in plural
His memoirs recall his student days at Harvard.
c
: biography
his memoir of his longtime friend
3
a
: an account of something noteworthy : report
the work described and discussed in this memoir represent a first-class investigation—J. A. Steers
J. A. Steers
b
memoirs plural
: the record of the proceedings of a learned society
Examples of memoir in a Sentence
a retired politician who is writing his memoirs
He has written a memoir of his mother.
a memoir of Hollywood in the 1930s
Recent Examples on the Web
Actress Ione Skye, 51, is an open book in her debut memoir Say Everything.
—Gillian Telling, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Press): The author of this memoir, who grew up climbing trees and exploring Como Park, weaves a blend of botany, philosophy, personal reflections and healing through nature from grief after the loss of her father with the backdrop of her father’s educational Tree Trek.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2025
This month’s must-reads include astronaut and activist Amanda Nguyen’s debut memoir, Torrey Peters’ experimental follow-up to her 2021 debut bestseller Detransition, Baby, and Abdulrazak Gurnah’s first new novel since winning the Nobel Prize four years ago.
—Shannon Carlin, TIME, 1 Mar. 2025
David published his own memoir, 2013’s The Last Call.
—Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for memoir
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Gillian Telling, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
Press): The author of this memoir, who grew up climbing trees and exploring Como Park, weaves a blend of botany, philosophy, personal reflections and healing through nature from grief after the loss of her father with the backdrop of her father’s educational Tree Trek.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2025
This month’s must-reads include astronaut and activist Amanda Nguyen’s debut memoir, Torrey Peters’ experimental follow-up to her 2021 debut bestseller Detransition, Baby, and Abdulrazak Gurnah’s first new novel since winning the Nobel Prize four years ago.
—Shannon Carlin, TIME, 1 Mar. 2025
David published his own memoir, 2013’s The Last Call.
—Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for memoir
Cite this Entry
“Memoir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memoir. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
memoir
noun
mem·oir
ˈmem-ˌwär 
-ˌwȯ(ə)r
1
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