noun
mime
mym
noun
1
The art of acting out a story or feeling through gesture and movement, without speaking.
"The street performer entertained the crowd with mime."
2
A performer who acts silently, using only body language and expression.
"A mime in white face paint pretended to be trapped in a glass box."
verb
1
To act out words or actions using only gestures, without speaking.
"He mimed drinking a cup of tea to explain what he wanted."
"The children mimed the story while the teacher read it aloud."
How to Use Mime
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishActing something out silently using movement and expression instead of words.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
mime artist
act out in mime
mime a word
Word Forms
mimed past tense, mimes plural, mimes singular
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Etymology
From Latin mimus and ultimately Greek mîmos ("imitator, actor"), re-borrowed into English through French mime.