emoji

noun

emo·​ji ē-ˈmō-jē How to pronounce emoji (audio)
plural emoji or emojis
: any of various small images, symbols, or icons used in text fields in electronic communication (as in text messages, email, and social media) to express the emotional attitude of the writer, convey information succinctly, communicate a message playfully without using words, etc.
The function of emoji, as [emoji developer Shigetaka] Kurita describes it—adding subtle emotional emphasis to a sentence in text—isn't too different from that of emoticons, the frowny and smiley faces that people have been making out of punctuation since the mid-1990s.Britt Peterson
compare emoticon

Examples of emoji in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Princess of Wales' younger brother James Middleton commented two emojis — a birthday cake and a heart — while Porteous wished the princess a bright year ahead. Janine Henni, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025 The emoji of the red-white-and-blue Liberian flag is regularly used instead of the American one, and places in the New York area are spelled as they would be pronounced by Spanish-speaking migrants. Jordan Salama, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025 And Alison Brie, who starred in several of Baena’s films, posted several photos of herself with him on her Instagram stories, again using a broken heart emoji. Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2025 His social media is filled with rocket ship emojis and images of him as a sort of religious icon for the church of Bitcoin. Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for emoji 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, literally, "pictograph," from e "picture, drawing" + moji "letter, character"

First Known Use

1997, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emoji was in 1997

Dictionary Entries Near emoji

Cite this Entry

“Emoji.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emoji. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

emoji

noun
emo·​ji
ē-ˈmō-jē
plural emoji or emojis
: any of various small images, symbols, or icons used in electronic communication (as email) to express the feelings or attitude of the writer or to present information concisely or playfully
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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