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
Originally launched as Write-minded in 2018, this is a weekly writing podcast that focuses on memoir and personal writing, as well as industry trends and tips and resources for writers and authors.
—Memoir Nation
july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
Harry’s 2023 memoir, which detailed embarrassing revelations about the House of Windsor, only worsened tensions with his family.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2025
Written and directed by Embeth Davidtz based on Alexandra Fuller’s memoir of her childhood on a family farm in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) at the end of the Zimbabwean War for independence in 1980.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 July 2025
The logistics — chronicled in Geldof’s memoir Is That It?
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for memoir
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Memoir Nation
july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
Harry’s 2023 memoir, which detailed embarrassing revelations about the House of Windsor, only worsened tensions with his family.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2025
Written and directed by Embeth Davidtz based on Alexandra Fuller’s memoir of her childhood on a family farm in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) at the end of the Zimbabwean War for independence in 1980.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 July 2025
The logistics — chronicled in Geldof’s memoir Is That It?
—Gary Graff, Billboard, 11 July 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 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
memoir
noun
mem·oir
ˈmem-ˌwär 
-ˌwȯ(ə)r
1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share