Memphis

¹ American  

[mem-fis] / ˈmɛm fɪs /

noun

1. a port in SW Tennessee, on the Mississippi.

2. a ruined city in Lower Egypt, on the Nile, S of Cairo: the ancient capital of Egypt.

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Memphis ² American  

[mem-fis] / ˈmɛm fɪs /

noun

1. a group of international designers and architects, formed in the 1980s and based in Milan, whose work is characterized by the use of bold colors, geometric shapes, and unconventional, often playful, designs.

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adjective

1. of or relating to this group or its style of design.

Memphis British  

/ ˈmɛmfɪs /

noun

1. a port in SW Tennessee, on the Mississippi River: the largest city in the state; a major cotton and timber market; Memphis State University (1909). Pop: 645 978 (2003 est)

2. a ruined city in N Egypt, the ancient centre of Lower Egypt, on the Nile: administrative and artistic centre, sacred to the worship of Ptah

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Memphis Cultural  

1. Largest city in Tennessee; located on the Mississippi River.

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Etymology

Origin of Memphis

The name was allegedly suggested to Ettore Sottsass, one of the group's founders, by the Bob Dylan song “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” on the evening of December 11, 1980

Example Sentences

If both expansion teams are created, they would be placed in the Western Conference, with either the Memphis Grizzlies or Minnesota Timberwolves moving to the Eastern Conference to ensure 16 teams in each.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

“Don’t worry about Easter – going home. In fact, make this one for Jesus, okay? Make this one for Jesus, that’s what I tell them,” he said at an event in Memphis, Tennessee on Monday.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

Trump bragged about this negotiating skills in a speech Monday in Memphis, Tennessee, highlighting his business instincts rather than specific concessions from Tehran.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

The Memphis, Tenn., company’s Express segment was boosted by higher domestic and international package yields and U.S. volume, as well as cost cutting from FedEx’s turnaround plan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

In Memphis we lived in a one-story brick tenement.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright