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
Britt PetersonExamples of emoji in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scherzinger wrote alongside a prayer emoji and a heart emoji.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2024
Gordon wrote on her Instagram Stories, alongside a series of heart eye emojis to a video of Swift performing on stage.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Add picks with demon and goblin emojis that indicate non-standard payouts of up to 100x your initial entry.
—Tim Van Straten, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Yet as societies and technologies evolve, what will become of the archaic winking-face emoji?
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for emoji 
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.
Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2024
Gordon wrote on her Instagram Stories, alongside a series of heart eye emojis to a video of Swift performing on stage.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Add picks with demon and goblin emojis that indicate non-standard payouts of up to 100x your initial entry.
—Tim Van Straten, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Yet as societies and technologies evolve, what will become of the archaic winking-face emoji?
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for emoji
Dictionary Entries Near emoji
Cite this Entry
“Emoji.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emoji. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share