mime

1.abbreviationB2

Definition

a technical standard for email that allows users to send pictures, videos, and other files as attachments, and to use non-English characters in messages

Example

Christopher attached a photo to his email, so the system used MIME encoding to handle the file.

MIME encoding for file attachments

Most modern email programs support MIME, which lets you send images and documents.

Common collocations

MIME type
MIME format
MIME encoding
MIME version
MIME standard
support MIME

Usage Note

Pronounced as one syllable /maɪm/, like the word for the performance art — not spelled out as individual letters.

Common Mistakes

The server does not support MIME for PDF documents.

The server does not support the MIME type for PDF documents.

It is the MIME type or MIME format that applies to specific file types, not 'MIME' directly.

1.nounB1

Definition

the art of telling a story or expressing feelings using only body movements, hand gestures, and facial expressions, without any spoken words or sounds

Example

The street performer used mime to show the crowd how a fisherman catches a big fish.

mime as a performance technique

Sari studied mime in Paris before joining a theatre company in London.

study mime as a formal discipline

Common collocations

mime artist
mime performer
study mime
do mime
express through mime
training in mime

Synonyms

pantomime
In US English, pantomime can mean the same as mime; in UK English, pantomime is a different, often noisy, family theatre tradition.
silent acting
A descriptive phrase rather than a fixed art-form name; less precise than 'mime'.

Usage Note

Unlike pantomime, which in British theatre often includes speech and audience participation, mime is performed entirely without sound.

Common Mistakes

I watched a mime on the street corner.' (when meaning a person)

I watched a mime artist on the street corner.

'A mime' by itself can be confusing; use 'mime artist' or 'mime performer' to refer to the person.

2.nounB2

Definition

a short performance without speech in which actors use only gestures and body movements to tell a story or show a situation

Example

The theatre group performed a ten-minute mime about a lonely astronaut stranded on the moon.

mime as a countable noun meaning a short play

Jabari wrote a funny mime for the school show, with two friends acting as clumsy waiters.

Common collocations

perform a mime
write a mime
short mime
funny mime
mime about [topic]

Synonyms

dumb show
An older term for a silent scene in a play; now rare outside historical contexts.
silent sketch
A descriptive phrase for a short comic mime piece, often used in comedy.

Usage Note

This countable sense refers to one specific piece of theatre, not the art form itself (which is uncountable — sense 1).

Common Mistakes

Mime is a type of short theatre.' (confusing the art with individual plays)

A mime is a type of short theatre.

Use the indefinite article for a single performance.

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1

Definition

to act out an action, story, or feeling using only your body and facial expressions, without making any sound

Example

Heloísa mimed brushing her teeth and washing her face to show her morning routine without words.

mime + gerund to demonstrate an activity

The street performer mimed climbing a ladder that was not really there.

Common collocations

mime an action
mime a story
mime doing something
mime the actions of

Synonyms

act out
More general than mime; can include speech. 'Mime' specifically means no sound.
gesture
Refers only to hand or arm movements, not full-body performance.

Grammar Patterns

mime + noun phrase

mime + -ing clause

Usage Note

The action being performed is typically expressed as a gerund (mimed climbing) or a noun phrase (mimed the actions of...). When intransitive, the context usually makes the action obvious.

Common Mistakes

He mimed to open the door.

He mimed opening the door.

Use a gerund after 'mime', not a to-infinitive.

2.verbtransitiveB1

Definition

to move your mouth as if singing, playing an instrument, or speaking, while making no sound at all — usually in order to match a pre-recorded audio track

Example

The pop star was caught miming to her own song during the live television show.

mime to [song] — lip-syncing to recorded music

Cyrus knew the tune well enough to mime playing the piano while the recording played.

Common collocations

mime to a song
mime the words
mime playing [instrument]
mime a solo
mime one's lines

Synonyms

lip-sync
More specific than mime; refers only to matching mouth movements to a vocal recording.
mouth
A simpler, more informal verb: 'She mouthed the words along with the radio.'
fake
Much broader in meaning; not specific to performance without sound.

Antonyms

sing live
To perform with genuine, unrehearsed vocal output.

Grammar Patterns

mime + noun phrase

mime + -ing clause

mime + to + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often carries a mildly negative tone, suggesting deception or lack of genuine talent, especially in pop music contexts where 'lipping' or 'lip-syncing' is frowned upon.

Common Mistakes

The singer mimed to sing the song.

The singer mimed the song.' or 'The singer mimed singing the song.

Do not use 'mime to + infinitive'; use a direct object or a gerund.

Word family

mimer
nounC2
mimic
verbB2
mimicry
nounC1
mimetic
adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Mime, pantomime, gesture, and body language all involve communication without words, but they differ in scope and context. Mime is a formal theatrical art: a structured performance in which an actor tells a complete story using only body movements and facial expressions. Pantomime is ambiguous — in the US it often means the same as mime, but in the UK it refers to a lively Christmas theatre tradition that includes speech, songs, and audience shouting. Gesture covers any meaningful hand or arm movement in everyday communication, such as waving or pointing, and is not a full performance. Body language refers to the unconscious or semi-conscious physical signals people give off — posture, eye contact, crossed arms — that reveal emotions without the person intending to perform. For a learner, the key distinction is intentionality: mime and pantomime are planned performances, while gesture and body language happen naturally in daily life.

mime ↗pantomime ↗gesture ↗body language

Common collocations

Nouns

mime artist
mime troupe
mime performance
mime act

Adverbs

Phrases

mime act
piece of mime
form of mime

Prepositions

in mime
through mime

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word entered English in the early 1600s from French 'mime', which came from Latin 'mimus' (an actor or imitator). The Latin word itself came from Greek 'mimos' (imitator, mimic). For over three centuries it referred only to performers and their silent art. In 1992, computer engineers created the acronym MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) as a technical standard for email — reusing the same four letters but giving it an entirely separate meaning in the world of technology.

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mime

mime — abbreviation

1. a technical standard for email that allows users to send pictures, videos, and o

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

mime — noun

1. the art of telling a story or expressing feelings using only body movements, han

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. a short performance without speech in which actors use only gestures and body mo

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

mime — verb

1. to act out an action, story, or feeling using only your body and facial expressi

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. to move your mouth as if singing, playing an instrument, or speaking, while maki

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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