A piece of humorous or relatable content, such as an image, video, or phrase, typically with overlaid text, that spreads rapidly online often through imitation and remixing.
The grumpy cat meme made everyone laugh online.
She created a new meme using her dog's silly face.
✦ Originally from Dawkins' cultural gene analogy, but popularized in the internet age starting around 2000s on sites like 4chan and Reddit.
An idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture, analogous to a gene in biological evolution.
The habit of greeting with a handshake is a meme passed down through generations.
Wearing hats as a fashion statement became a cultural meme in the 1920s.
✦ Coined in 1976 by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene, from Ancient Greek μίμημα (mīmēma), meaning 'something imitated', from μιμέομαι (mimeomai, 'I imitate').
