memoir

noun

mem·​oir ˈmem-ˌwär 

-ˌwȯr

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

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

b

memoirs plural : the record of the proceedings of a learned society

memoirist

ˈmem-ˌwär-ist 

-ˌwȯr-

noun

Synonyms

• bio
• biography
• life

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

That is a memoir by Kang Chol-hwan about the North Korean gulag. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 15 Jan. 2025

The plan was to publish the pope's memoirs after his death, writes co-author Carlo Musso. —Daniel Burke, NPR, 14 Jan. 2025

In the interview, Melania Trump mentioned her memoir, which was published in October, and an upcoming Amazon documentary, which began production in November and is expected to show her day-to-day life. —John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025

On the same day, Shields appeared on Good Morning America and opened up about her decision to address women's experience in the healthcare system in the forthcoming memoir. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 13 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French memoire, from memoire memory, from Latin memoria

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

memoir

noun

mem·​oir ˈmem-ˌwär 

-ˌwȯ(ə)r

1

a

: a story of a personal experience

b

: autobiography

—usually used in plural

c

: biography

2

: report entry 1 sense 2