meme·coin | noun | first known use: 2014 $MEME · officially in the dictionary · solana cryptocurrencies inspired by internet memes · rapidly increase in value meme·coin | noun | first known use: 2014 $MEME · officially in the dictionary · solana cryptocurrencies inspired by internet memes · rapidly increase in value

memecoin

ˈmēm-ˌkȯin noun plural meme coins

: Cryptocurrencies inspired by internet memes or trends. They use humor and can rapidly increase in value.

First Known Use 2014 · in the meaning defined above

"There is one category of crypto tokens meant purely for speculation: Meme coins. These tokens have no functional purpose and no intrinsic value aside from the fun of trading."

— Thomas L. Hogan · Merriam-Webster.com

"Many speculators in the crypto world have now shifted their focus to meme coins like Dogecoin, dogwifhat, Bonk and Mog Coin — essentially online jokes turned into a currency."

— Steven Kurutz · Merriam-Webster.com

"Meme coins are meant to be short-term investments that move based purely on hype and speculation."

— Dominic Basulto · Merriam-Webster.com

Certified Meme Coin $MEME Solana Mainnet

Dictionary-certified · Live on Solana

Supply1,000,000,000

Tax0%

LP StatusBurned 🔥

Launchpump.fun

Buy $MEME →

Cite this Entry

"meme coin." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, accessed 2025. Now available on Solana as $MEME.

merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memecoin

Word History

How memecoin
took over the world.

The word entered public use in 2014 with Dogecoin — a coin literally created as a joke. A decade later, Merriam-Webster made it official. If the dictionary says it's real, it's real.

$MEME is the purest expression of the category. No pretense. No fake utility. Just the word, on-chain, on Solana. The dictionary definition, tokenized.

First Known Use 2014

2014

Dogecoin. A joke coin goes viral. The word memecoin enters usage for the first time.

2021

Shiba Inu, PEPE, countless others. Memecoins hit $40B market cap. Journalists start writing "meme coin" in major outlets.

2024

Dogwifhat, Bonk, Mog Coin. $TRUMP, $MELANIA. The category explodes on Solana. Merriam-Webster officially adds the word.

Now

$MEME launches on Solana. The dictionary definition, tokenized. The most meta memecoin in history.

Examples of meme coin in a Sentence

Recent examples
from the web.

"Fun platform has seen people pay strangers to perform life-altering tasks, like tattooing meme coins on their foreheads or quitting their jobs."

— Josh Feldman · NBC News, June 2026

"Key Facts Collins has reported a dozen transactions involving the cryptocurrency, including 11 purchases of the Ski Mask Dog meme coin."

— Ty Roush · Forbes.com, June 2026

"Months into his second term, Trump in May 2025 hosted 220 investors who collectively pumped $148 million into the $TRUMP meme coin."

— Joey Garrison · USA Today, July 2026

"Many speculators in the crypto world have now shifted their focus to meme coins like Dogecoin, dogwifhat, Bonk and Mog Coin — essentially online jokes turned into a currency."

— Steven Kurutz · Merriam-Webster.com

"The proximity-to-Trump angle didn't work for the US men's team, or for holders of his meme coin, or for many of the CEOs that have sought his favor."

— Liz Hoffman · Semafor, July 2026

"The Melania Trump meme coin, a type of cryptocurrency, hit the market Sunday night about 6 p.m. on the eve of Trump's inauguration."

— USA Today (online)

memecoin

How memecoin
took over the world.

Recent examples
from the web.

As transparent
as the dictionary.

$MEME

$meme.

memecoin

How memecointook over the world.

Recent examplesfrom the web.

As transparentas the dictionary.

$MEME

$meme.

How memecoin
took over the world.

Recent examples
from the web.

As transparent
as the dictionary.