meme

American  

[meem] / mim /

noun

1. 1. a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition and replication in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.

   2. a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that is spread via the internet and often altered in a creative or humorous way.

---

verb (used without object)

memed, memeing, meming

1. to create and spread memes.

   He spends a lot of time memeing and sharing his videos with friends.

verb (used with object)

memed, memeing, meming

1. to make the subject of a meme.

   cute cats that get memed.

meme British  

/ miːm /

noun

1. an idea or element of social behaviour passed on through generations in a culture, esp by imitation

---

Etymology

Origin of meme

First recorded in 1976; coined by British evolutionary biologist C. Richard Dawkins (born 1941), shortening of Dawkins's original creation mimeme, which was based on Greek mī́mēma “imitation, copy; artistic representation,” but which Dawkins also wanted to look and sound like gene; mimesis ( def. )

Example Sentences

Supporters flooded social media with memes and sold T-shirts and other merchandise.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The more a meme gets readapted and reused, the more chances it has to stick in our actual vocabulary," the 24-year-old explains.

From BBC

Contrary to the image of reckless traders chasing meme stocks, many young Americans are responding to this year’s market volatility with the patience and steadiness of investors decades their senior.

From The Wall Street Journal

DJT is just one of the many meme stocks to get hit hard in recent weeks while speculative fervor has cooled off.

From The Wall Street Journal

The meme stock continued to gain momentum ahead of third-quarter earnings, which are expected next week.

From Barron's