Mime Meaning
/maɪm/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA form of acting without words; pantomime.
nounA pantomime actor.
Sentence Examples
I cannot mime Ken in presence of the teacher.
I like to mime President Bush.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ on the silent stage entertained the audience without making any sound.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The street performer entertained the passing tourists by pretending to be trapped inside an invisible box using only ____.
Word Origin & History
Possibly from Middle English *mime, from Old English mīma (“a buffoon, jester, mime”), from Latin mimus, from Ancient Greek μῖμος (mîmos, “imitator, actor”), but more likely re-borrowed in modern times from French mime (“mimic actor”), from the same source.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[Silence] demands returning to the self, to innocence and a portrayal of situations as if all the particulars were completely unknown to the viewer. There are no props but the muscular versatility of the human form. Mime is the one thing that truly proves we can be all things."
— 1977 April 23, Arlene Silva, “Suzanne Fox's Silent Stories”, in Gay Community News, page 10:
"The mimes were packed with lascivious gestures and movements, and usually presented erotic scenes, on occasion farcically treated."
— 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 209:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ on the silent stage entertained the audience without making any sound.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The street performer entertained the passing tourists by pretending to be trapped inside an invisible box using only ____.