Meaning & use
memes
Last updated
Humorous images, videos, or pieces of text, often altered or captioned, that are copied and spread rapidly online.
See it in a sentence
The photo became one of the internet's most recognizable memes within days.
New memes about the election flooded social media within hours of the debate.
A note on using this word
Originally a term from evolutionary theory for culturally transmitted ideas; now used almost exclusively for the internet joke-image sense in everyday speech.
Another way to use it
2. noun
(originally) A unit of cultural transmission, such as an idea, behavior, or style, that spreads from person to person like a gene.
Richard Dawkins coined the term 'meme' to describe how ideas spread and evolve within a culture.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “memes”, then compare your use with the examples above.