memoir

memoir — noun

1. a book or written work that describes events, places, or people the author has p

1.nounB2
Definition

a book or written work that describes events, places, or people the author has personally known or observed, often involving well-known subjects

Example

Amira's memoir of the Rwandan genocide describes the courage of the families she sheltered.

memoir + of + [event] — specifying the historical subject

The publisher accepted the diplomat's memoir because it revealed fresh details about the peace talks.

Common collocations
  • memoir of the war
  • memoir of his years
  • memoir about her time
  • firsthand memoir
  • personal memoir
Synonyms
  • chronicle

    a factual record of events in order of time, often less personal than a memoir

  • reminiscence

    emphasises the act of remembering past events; often more informal and fragmentary than a memoir

  • testimony

    a formal statement about events witnessed, often used in legal or historical contexts

Grammar Patterns

memoir + of + noun phrase

possessive + memoir

memoir + about + noun phrase

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2 (OWN LIFE STORY): in this sense, the writer focuses on external subjects — events witnessed, places visited, or other people known — rather than on their own life story.

Common Mistakes

She wrote a memoir of her entire life from birth to old age.
She wrote an autobiography covering her entire life.
A full life story from birth is typically called an autobiography; a memoir often focuses on specific events or periods the writer has experienced.

2. a book in which someone writes about their own life and personal experiences, es

2.nounB2
Definition

a book in which someone writes about their own life and personal experiences, especially a well-known person who focuses on particular periods or themes rather than the whole life span

Example

In her memoir, pop singer Madison writes openly about her difficult childhood in Texas.

possessive + memoir + adverb (openly) — showing tone

Rodrigo's memoir focuses on his twenty years as a human rights lawyer in Brazil.

memoir + focuses on + [theme] — narrowing the scope

Common collocations
  • write a memoir
  • publish a memoir
  • memoir about growing up
  • memoir focuses on
  • autobiographical memoir
Synonyms
  • autobiography

    a full account of a person's life written by that person; broader in scope than a memoir

  • life story

    an informal term for the story of someone's life, without the literary implication of 'memoir'

  • confession

    a personal account that emphasises revealing private or shameful details

Grammar Patterns

possessive + memoir

memoir + about + noun phrase

write/publish a memoir

Usage Note

Unlike a full autobiography, a memoir in this sense often focuses on specific periods, relationships, or events rather than covering the author's entire life. The subject is typically the writer's own personal experiences.

Common Mistakes

I read his memoir, which was written by a famous journalist about the president.
I read his account of the president, which he wrote based on personal interviews.
If the writer is not the subject of the book, sense 1 (FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT) is more appropriate.

Word family

  • memoirist
    nounC1
  • memoirs
    noun (plural)B2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

A memoir is a first-person account focused on specific periods or themes in the author's life — for example, a politician's account of their years in office, or a writer's story of growing up in a particular place. An autobiography covers the author's entire life from birth onward in a more structured, chronological manner. A biography is written by someone else about the subject's life, making it third-person and research-based. A chronicle is a factual record of events in time order, often without the personal voice or emotional weight of a memoir. If you read a celebrity's book about her childhood and rise to fame, that is a memoir or autobiography. A historian's book about a war, based on documents rather than personal experience, is a chronicle.

memoir ↗autobiography ↗biography ↗chronicle ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • memoir writer
  • memoir publisher
  • memoir chapter

Phrases

  • write a memoir
  • publish a memoir
  • read a memoir
  • memoir tells the story of

Prepositions

  • memoir of
  • memoir about

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'memoir' entered English from French 'mémoire', meaning a written record of past events or a memory. The French word came from Latin 'memoria', meaning 'memory' or 'remembrance'. First used in English in the 15th century, it originally referred to a short note or memorandum before gradually taking on its modern meaning of a personal account of events and experiences.