Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

mime

Pronunciation: /mʌɪm/
Translate mime | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of mime

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] the theatrical technique of suggesting action, character, or emotion without words, using only gesture, expression, and movement: mime is part of our cultural heritage
  • [count noun] a theatrical performance using mime: the ceremony was followed by a series of precise mimes, dances, and songs
  • [count noun] an action or actions intended to convey another action, an idea, or an emotion:he performed a brief mime of someone fencing
  • (also mime artist) [count noun] a practitioner of mime or a performer in a mime: he’s a very fine actor and mime artist troupes of feminist mimes
  • 2(in ancient Greece and Rome) a simple farcical drama including mimicry: the Dorian mimes first began to lay the foundations of the theatre

verb

  • 1 [with object] use only gesture and movement to act out (a play or role): (as adjective mimed)a mimed play [no object]:they’ve even mimed in a restaurant hall
  • convey or represent (an action, idea, or emotion) by using only gesture and movement:Eddie mimed an attack of nausea
  • 2 [no object] pretend to sing or play an instrument as a recording is being played:singers on television often mime to pre-recorded tape tracks

Derivatives

mimer

noun

Origin:

early 17th century (also in the sense 'mimic or jester'): from Latin mimus, from Greek mimos

mime in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of mime in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

GET PRO ►

Shop for an Oxford dictionary
Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

cur

/ kəː /
noun
an aggressive or unkempt dog …