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memoir meaning and examples

2025-10-26

Meaning

A memoir is a written account of someone's personal experiences or memories, often focusing on particular events, themes, or periods in their life. It is similar to an autobiography but usually covers specific aspects rather than an entire life story.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Noun

  • Countable/Uncountable: Countable (usually singular)

  • Typical structure:

    • write a memoir
    • publish a memoir about/of something

Examples:

  • She wrote a memoir about her years as a war correspondent.
  • His memoirs detail his journey from poverty to success.

Common Phrases

  • write a memoir – to compose a written account of one’s life experiences
  • publish a memoir – to release it publicly or in print
  • memoir of childhood – focusing on early life memories
  • political memoir – written by a politician about their career and decisions

Collocations

Verb + Memoir Adjective + Memoir Memoir + of
write, publish, read, release personal, political, touching, honest memoir of childhood, memoir of war

Examples

  1. She’s currently writing a memoir about her experiences living abroad.
  2. The general’s memoirs became a bestseller.
  3. His memoir reveals details about his relationship with famous artists.
  4. Reading her memoir, I felt as if I were reliving her journey.
  5. The author’s memoir of survival inspired millions around the world.
  6. He plans to publish his memoirs after retirement.
  7. The memoir gives a deeply personal perspective on historical events.
  8. Her memoir focuses on the lessons she learned during her illness.
  • autobiography
  • recollection
  • reminiscence
  • life story
  • narrative

Antonym

  • fiction
  • fantasy
  • fabrication