A meme is a joke, image, video or phrase that spreads across the internet very quickly. The word is neutral: it's used both in texting and in the news, so it's fine for IELTS Speaking and for an essay about social media.
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send/share/post a meme; a meme about + topic; become a meme
- I've just sent you a meme about Mondays, it's literally you.
- That awkward interview became a meme within a few hours.
- Our group chat is basically just memes and voice messages.
What changed
First versionThrow me that meme about cats, I want to show my sister.
RevisionSend me that meme about cats, I want to show my sister.
Throw mainly means sending a physical object through the air with your hand, so throw me that meme sounds odd. To forward a meme, a link or a photo, use send: send me that meme.
Meme rhymes with team and cream: /miːm/, with a long ee sound rather than a short e. Mime sounds different, /maɪm/, and means acting without words or a performer who does it: The street mime pretended to be stuck in a box.
Your turn
The clip of the reporter slipping on the ice got shared everywhere and quickly became a ___.
Show the answer
meme — The clip was shared everywhere and became a joke for the whole internet, in other words a meme. A troll is a person who deliberately provokes people in the comments, and a video can't become a troll.
Text a friend saying you've sent them a meme. Say what it's about and why it reminded you of them.
Just sent you a meme about people who set ten alarms, and it reminded me of you because you always do that.
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