plural memos
: a usually brief written message or report : memorandum
Use headlines, bullets, and lists to organize the memo and the proposal.—
Inc. Magazine
Inc. MagazineWhen your boss asks you to find a memo you wrote a year ago, it's hard to remember what you named it.—Susan Kelley
Susan Kelley
Phrases
get the memo
informal + often humorous
: to hear about or become aware of something generally known
—typically used in negative constructions to point to someone's surprising lack of awareness, to say that something did not happen as expected, etc.
Officials often warn tourists not to enter the water, but several tourists searching for that perfect Instagram photo apparently did not get the memo.—The San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco ChronicleThe calendar may say only five more days until fall, but mother nature did not get the memo. It is going to be hot and feel even hotter over the next couple of days.—Carrie Duncan
Carrie DuncanYou're not still wearing those acid-washed jeans, are you? Tube socks and shorts? … OK, so no one told you. You didn't get the memo. Those things went out with neckties the size of small landing strips.—Christine Keating
Christine KeatingIt was expected to be a five-set test of endurance … But, Edberg apparently did not get the memo because he just dominated Courier and captured his first- ever U.S. Open title with a straight set triumph at the National Tennis Center in New York.—Van Earl Wright
Van Earl Wright
Examples of memo in a Sentence
He sent a memo to the staff.
a long series of memos between the two authors collaborating on the book
Recent Examples on the Web
The fake elector scheme was largely rooted in on a memo that came out of Wisconsin, where a recount in the close race was underway, according to the U.S. Department of Justice indictment of Trump.
—Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Military officials for days denied there was anything wrong with the water, as seen in recorded testimony and memos sent from that time.
—Li Cohen, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024
According to a source who was aware of the message, William Burns, the CIA director, told the agency’s workforce in an internal memo on April 15 that the agency stood by the March 2023 assessment.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2024
Just two days later, the Bush administration released the top-secret memo with minimal redactions to show that the document contained no specific warning of, or any actionable information about, a near-term attack.
—David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Lawyers for Gonzalez stated her defense is her need to support her children and keep her business thriving, per court memos obtained by ABC News.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
The contents of Clifford’s memo had been tweaked some.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
During the past few years, Abruzzo has issued a stream of memos to the agency’s field offices and to regional directors designed to hold companies that engage in unfair labor practices accountable.
—Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2024
In a sentencing memo dated April 10, Gutierrez Reed’s defense team requested she be released on probation with conditions set by the judge and undergo counseling and rehabilitative efforts.
—Christina Maxouris, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Military officials for days denied there was anything wrong with the water, as seen in recorded testimony and memos sent from that time.
—Li Cohen, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024
According to a source who was aware of the message, William Burns, the CIA director, told the agency’s workforce in an internal memo on April 15 that the agency stood by the March 2023 assessment.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2024
Just two days later, the Bush administration released the top-secret memo with minimal redactions to show that the document contained no specific warning of, or any actionable information about, a near-term attack.
—David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Lawyers for Gonzalez stated her defense is her need to support her children and keep her business thriving, per court memos obtained by ABC News.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
The contents of Clifford’s memo had been tweaked some.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
During the past few years, Abruzzo has issued a stream of memos to the agency’s field offices and to regional directors designed to hold companies that engage in unfair labor practices accountable.
—Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2024
In a sentencing memo dated April 10, Gutierrez Reed’s defense team requested she be released on probation with conditions set by the judge and undergo counseling and rehabilitative efforts.
—Christina Maxouris, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'memo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Memo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memo. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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