memo

noun

ˈme-(ˌ)mō 

plural memos

: a usually brief written message or report : memorandum

Use headlines, bullets, and lists to organize the memo and the proposal.

—Inc. Magazine

When your boss asks you to find a memo you wrote a year ago, it's hard to remember what you named it.

—Susan Kelley

Phrases

get the memo

informal + often humorous

: to hear about or become aware of something generally known

—typically used in negative constructions to point to someone's surprising lack of awareness, to say that something did not happen as expected, etc.

Officials often warn tourists not to enter the water, but several tourists searching for that perfect Instagram photo apparently did not get the memo.

—The San Francisco Chronicle

The calendar may say only five more days until fall, but mother nature did not get the memo. It is going to be hot and feel even hotter over the next couple of days.

—Carrie Duncan

You're not still wearing those acid-washed jeans, are you? Tube socks and shorts? … OK, so no one told you. You didn't get the memo. Those things went out with neckties the size of small landing strips.

—Christine Keating

It was expected to be a five-set test of endurance … But, Edberg apparently did not get the memo because he just dominated Courier and captured his first- ever U.S. Open title with a straight set triumph at the National Tennis Center in New York.

—Van Earl Wright

Synonyms

• dispatch
• epistle
• letter
• memorandum
• missive
• note

Examples of memo in a Sentence

He sent a memo to the staff.

a long series of memos between the two authors collaborating on the book

Recent Examples on the Web

What To Know The ICE policy requiring agents to obtain prior approval before making arrests in sensitive locations was introduced in 2011 through a memo issued by then-Director John Morton. —Billal Rahman, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025

The news, related to employees in a memo by Co-CEO Ted Sarandos (read it below), follows major pledges by Disney and Comcast NBCUniversal. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2025

However, the new social media push, along with a new DNC memo detailing efforts to fight back against the Trump White House, signals that the Democratic Party will be looking to battle the GOP throughout the next four years. —Mabinty Quarshie, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Jan. 2025

In June, 1975, a few months before the show was to début, Michaels sent a three-page memo to NBC executives. —Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing memo

• counter-memo

Kids Definition

memo

noun

ˈmem-ō 

plural memos

: memorandum