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
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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.
Hailey captioned her post with the heart on fire emoji. William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025 The most poignant of those messages came from safety Josh Metellus, who posted a broken heart emoji that indicated the Vikings were moving on from his best friend. Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 10 Mar. 2025 Shortly after Mendoza announced the news, Alvarez posted an instagram story with three broken heart emojis. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2025 Zilis shares anecdotes and photos of her twins on Twitter, which Musk has responded to with heart emojis. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 7 Mar. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Emoji.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emoji. Accessed 15 Mar. 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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