Meaning & use
meme
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An image, video, phrase, or idea, often humorous, that spreads rapidly through sharing and imitation, especially online.
See it in a sentence
The photo of the cat wearing sunglasses became an internet meme within days.
She turned the delayed flight into a meme that thousands of people shared.
A note on using this word
Coined by biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976 to describe a unit of cultural transmission; today it almost always refers to shareable internet content.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. noun
A unit of cultural information, such as an idea or behavior, that spreads from person to person within a culture.
Dawkins argued that memes evolve and spread much like genes.
Make it your own
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