memory

American  

[mem-uh-ree] / ˈmɛm ə ri /

noun

plural

memories

1. the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc., or of recalling or recognizing previous experiences.

2. this faculty as possessed by a particular individual.

   to have a good memory.

3. the act or fact of retaining and recalling impressions, facts, etc.; remembrance; recollection.

   to draw from memory.

4. the length of time over which recollection extends.

   a time within the memory of living persons.

5. a mental impression retained; a recollection.

   one's earliest memories.

6. the reputation of a person or thing, especially after death; fame.

   a ruler of beloved memory.

7. the state or fact of being remembered.

8. a person, thing, event, fact, etc., remembered.

9. commemorative remembrance; commemoration.

   a monument in memory of Columbus.

10. the ability of certain materials to return to an original shape after deformation.

11. Also called storage.  Also called computer memory,.  Computers.

    1. the capacity of a computer to store information subject to recall.

    2. the components of the computer in which such information is stored.

12. Rhetoric. the step in the classical preparation of a speech in which the wording is memorized.

13. Cards. concentration.

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memory British  

/ ˈmɛmərɪ /

noun

1. 1. the ability of the mind to store and recall past sensations, thoughts, knowledge, etc

      he can do it from memory

   2. the part of the brain that appears to have this function

2. the sum of everything retained by the mind

3. a particular recollection of an event, person, etc

4. the time over which recollection extends

   within his memory

5. commemoration or remembrance

   in memory of our leader

6. the state of being remembered, as after death

7. Also called: RAM.   main store.   store.  a part of a computer in which information is stored for immediate use by the central processing unit See also backing store virtual storage

8. the tendency for a material, system, etc, to show effects that depend on its past treatment or history

9. the ability of a material, etc, to return to a former state after a constraint has been removed

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memory Scientific  

/ mĕm′ə-rē /

1. 1. The ability to remember past experiences or learned information, involving advanced mental processes such as learning, retention, recall, and recognition and resulting from chemical changes between neurons in several different areas of the brain, including the hippocampus. Immediate memory lasts for just a few seconds. Short-term memory stores information that has been minimally processed and is available only for a few minutes, as in remembering a phone number just long enough to use it. Short-term memory is transferred into long-term memory, which can last for many years, only when repeated use of the information facilitates neurochemical changes that allow it to be retained. The loss of memory because of disease or injury is called amnesia.

   2. The collection of information gained from past learning or experience that is stored in a person's mind.

   3. A piece of information, such as the mental image of an experience, that is stored in the memory.

2. 1. A part of a computer in which data is stored for later use.

   2. The capacity of a computer, chips, and storage devices to preserve data and programs for retrieval. Memory is measured in bytes.

3. The capacity of a material, such as plastic or metal, to return to a previous shape or condition.

4. The capacity of the immune system to produce a specific immune response to an antigen it has previously encountered.

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memory Idioms  

1. see commit to memory; in memory of.

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Usage

What does memory mean? Memory is the ability to retain and recall past events or information in a person’s mind, as in Memory is possible thanks to the brain. Memory can also mean an individual person’s ability to do this, as in I have a really good memory when it comes to people’s names. Memory can also refer to the actual retained accounts themselves, as in I have a strong memory of last summer. Memory is an amazing ability that humans (and other animals) have. It refers to the brain’s ability to store accounts or mental images of past events or information. In other words, to remember something. For example, you use memory to be able to know what your phone number is whenever you are asked. At one time, you learned this information and your brain has kept it available for when you need it. The verb memorize means to store something as a memory as in I memorized the words to my favorite song. The noun memorial means something that is intended to preserve a memory of something else, as in We had lunch next to the war memorial outside the museum. Example: I have to leave myself a lot of reminders because I have a really bad memory.

Etymology

Origin of memory

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English memorie, from Latin memoria, equivalent to memor “mindful, remembering” + -ia -y ³

Explanation

Memory is the power to retain and recall information and past experiences. Your brain's memory helps you recall lots of memories — like multiplication tables and bad dates. The word memory applies to both the individual facts and experiences you remember as well as the brain's ability to contain it all. A good memory for names means you retain someone's name. But a good memory of your summer job means that you had fun while working at the Jiffy Lube. Memory has also come to refer to a computer's capacity to store information. As far as we know, however, computers do not have fond memories of their past programs.

Example Sentences

A computing-power arms race among the biggest artificial-intelligence companies is driving huge demand for hardware like chips, servers and memory, and minting big winners in the stock market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

This should provide memory providers with pricing floors and upfront cash payments, according to the firm.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

"This Picasso initiative is one more building block so that one day Alzheimer's will be nothing more than a bad memory," the foundation's head Olivier de Ladoucette said, the AFP news agency reported.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

“Congress has a short-term memory, that is the difficulty here,” the staffer said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

I don’t smile along with him—the memory is too embarrassing.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• fantasy
• image
• memoir
• picture
• reminder
• thought
• vision