pantomime

1 of 2

noun

pan·​to·​mime ˈpan-tə-ˌmīm How to pronounce pantomime (audio)
1
2
a
: an ancient Roman dramatic performance featuring a solo dancer and a narrative chorus
b
: any of various dramatic or dancing performances in which a story is told by expressive bodily or facial movements of the performers
a ballet that is part dance and part pantomime
c
: a British theatrical entertainment of the Christmas season based on a nursery tale and featuring topical songs, tableaux, and dances
3
a
: conveyance of a story by bodily or facial movements especially in drama or dance
b
: the art or genre of conveying a story by bodily movements only
pantomimic adjective

pantomime

2 of 2

verb

pantomimed; pantomiming

intransitive verb

: to engage in pantomime

transitive verb

: to represent by pantomime

Examples of pantomime in a Sentence

Noun In the game of charades, one player uses pantomime to represent a word or phrase that the other players have to try to guess. We saw pantomimes at the fair. a ballet that is part dance and part pantomime Verb He pantomimed someone talking on the phone.
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.
Noun
Lloyd Webber will continue writing with Terrio and Major, while Harrison prepares to mount the London Palladium’s raucous annual pantomime. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024 Physically and textually, Das Ersatz is a sweet, jittery Gen-Z pastiche, a postmodern pantomime that splatters the walls with swooning angst, along with a barrage of citations both high and low, without losing its soft belly or its warm heart. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 June 2024
Verb
And so a lot of overqualified actors keep getting stuck pantomiming her presence, deliberately evoking Ripley while reminding us what the series lost when its star finally put the feverish space chases behind her. A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2024 After calmly letting Larry extrapolate, Jerry pantomimes a short beep. Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pantomime 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Latin pantomimus, from pant- + mimus mime

First Known Use

Noun

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1768, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of pantomime was in 1606

Dictionary Entries Near pantomime

Cite this Entry

“Pantomime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pantomime. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

pantomime

noun
pan·​to·​mime
ˈpant-ə-ˌmīm
1
2
: a performance in which a story is told by expressive movements of the body or face
3
: expression of information by movements of the body or face
pantomime verb

More from Merriam-Webster on pantomime

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!