mime
gb/mˈaɪm/ us/mˈaɪm/
B2
English
~ 9200
pantomimes, pantomim, elmutogat, tátog, playbackel, MIME
NOUN
B2
1
pantomimes
B2
Usage pattern:
a mime [performs] without speaking
A mime on the corner entertained the crowd with an invisible box routine.
Az utcasarkon egy pantomimes a híres „láthatatlan doboz” mutatvánnyal szórakoztatta a közönséget.
The children laughed as the mime pretended to be pulled by an invisible dog.
A gyerekek nevettek, miközben a pantomimes úgy tett, mintha egy láthatatlan kutya húzná.
She hired a mime for the party to walk around and perform silent sketches.
The famous mime wore white face paint and a striped shirt on stage.
We watched a mime perform an emotional scene without saying a single word.
Learner examples
A mime makes people laugh without talking.
A pantomimes beszéd nélkül nevetteti meg az embereket.
We saw a mime on the street in Paris.
Párizsban láttunk egy pantomimest az utcán.
The mime uses his hands and face to tell a story.
My friend wants to be a mime when he grows up.
The mime stands very still and then moves in a funny way.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "mime" with "meme" (a popular image or joke on the internet). Remember that a mime is a person who performs silently, usually on stage or in the street.
Meaning
Silent performer using gestures
Collocations
street mime
|French mime
|professional mime
|mime artist
|silent mime
|classic mime
Synonyms
pantomime artist (More formal and technical; often used in theater or academic contexts for the same type of performer.)
Antonyms
speaker (Focuses on someone who uses spoken words, the opposite of a silent performer.)
Themes
arts
|entertainment
|jobs
|arts_entertainment
Definition
A person who performs without speaking, using their face and body to show a story or feelings.
A performer who tells a story or expresses emotions using only body movements and facial expressions, without speaking.
NOUN
B2
2
pantomim
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] studies/practices mime
He has been studying mime for three years at a theater school.
Már három éve tanul pantomimet egy színiiskolában.
The festival features workshops on clowning, juggling, and mime.
A fesztiválon bohócmesterségből, zsonglőrködésből és pantomimból is tartanak workshopokat.
She prefers mime to spoken theater because it crosses language barriers.
The director decided to include a short piece of mime between the scenes.
Mime requires strong control of the body and face to be effective.
Learner examples
I took a mime class at my local theater.
A helyi színházban részt vettem egy pantomimórán.
Mime is hard because you cannot use your voice.
A pantomim nehéz, mert nem használhatod a hangodat.
The show had music, dance, and mime.
He is writing an article about the history of mime.
We watched a video that explained basic mime techniques.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "mime" always means a funny show for children. In fact, mime can be serious or emotional, not only comic.
Meaning
Art of acting without words
Collocations
study mime
|teach mime
|mime class
|mime performance
|traditional mime
|modern mime
Synonyms
pantomime (Often used for the same art form, but in British English it can also mean a specific kind of musical stage show, especially at Christmas.)
Antonyms
spoken drama (Refers to theater that relies on spoken dialogue instead of silent movement.)
Themes
arts
|entertainment
|education
|arts_entertainment
Definition
A kind of acting where people show a story with their body and face, but do not speak.
A style or art of performance in which a story, idea, or emotion is expressed through movement and facial expression without spoken words.
VERB
B2
3
elmutogat
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone] mimes [something]
She mimed the directions to the tourists when they did not understand her English.
Elmutogatta az útbaigazítást a turistáknak, amikor nem értették az angolját.
The teacher asked a student to mime a daily activity and the class had to guess it.
A tanár megkért egy diákot, hogy mutogasson el egy mindennapi tevékenységet, az osztálynak pedig ki kellett találnia, mi az.
He mimed being trapped in a box to make his friends laugh.
During the game, you must mime the word on the card without making any sound.
The actor mimed the whole argument, using only his face and hands.
Learner examples
He mimed the answer because the room was too loud.
A választ elmutogatta, mert túl nagy volt a zaj a teremben.
I will mime the story, and you can say the words.
Én elmutogatom a történetet, te pedig mondhatod a szavakat.
The girl mimed that she was hungry by rubbing her stomach.
They mimed different animals for the children.
Please mime the action instead of talking.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "mime" when they mean "mimic" or "imitate" in a general way. Use "mime" when the focus is on silent acting with your body, not just copying someone’s behavior or voice.
Meaning
Act something out silently
Collocations
mime the words
|mime the actions
|mime a story
|mime a scene
|mime instructions
|mime along
Synonyms
act out (More general; can involve speaking or props, while "mime" focuses on silent movement.)
Antonyms
say (Uses spoken words directly, rather than silent movement, to communicate.)
Themes
communication
|arts
|daily_life
|arts_entertainment
Definition
To use your body and face to show something instead of saying it.
To show or act out an action, story, or message by using movements and facial expressions instead of words.
VERB
B2
4
tátog
B2
playbackel
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] mimes [a song / the words]
The band didn’t play live; they just mimed to a pre-recorded track.
A zenekar nem élőben játszott, csak playbackelt egy előre felvett sávra.
During the school show, some students sang while others mimed the words at the back.
Az iskolai műsorban néhány diák énekelt, míg mások hátul tátogták a szöveget.
He forgot the lyrics and awkwardly mimed along until the song ended.
The TV presenter clearly mimed the chorus while the audience did the real singing.
They were told to mime the national anthem instead of singing it loudly.
Learner examples
She did not know the song, so she just mimed the words.
Nem ismerte a dalt, ezért csak tátogta a szöveget.
The singer was sick and mimed to a recorded song.
Az énekes beteg volt, ezért egy felvett dalra playbackelt.
In the video, the actor only mimes; another person sings.
We had to mime the song quietly in the library.
He likes to mime along to music in his room.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this use of "mime" means full body acting. In music or TV contexts, it usually means only moving the lips to match a song or speech without making sound.
Meaning
Pretend to sing by lip-syncing
Collocations
mime the lyrics
|mime a song
|mime along to the music
|mime the words
|just mime on stage
|mime the chorus
Synonyms
lip-sync (Common term in music and TV; can include matching exact timing to a recorded track, while "mime" is slightly broader and may be more casual.)
Antonyms
sing live (Describes actually producing the sound with your own voice instead of only pretending.)
Themes
entertainment
|music
|arts_entertainment
Definition
To move your mouth like you are singing or talking, but without sound, so it looks real.
To move your lips as if you are singing or speaking, without producing sound, so that it looks as if you are actually doing it.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
5
MIME
C2
Usage pattern:
a MIME type [specifies] [a data format]
The server rejected the file because its MIME type was not allowed.
A szerver elutasította a fájlt, mert a MIME-típusa nem volt engedélyezett.
Developers must set the correct MIME header so the browser knows how to handle the response.
A fejlesztőknek a megfelelő MIME-fejlécet kell beállítaniuk, hogy a böngésző tudja, hogyan kezelje a választ.
Email clients use MIME to combine text and attachments in a single message.
The log showed that the MIME type was incorrectly configured as plain text.
Support for new image formats often requires updating the list of recognized MIME types.
Learner examples
Your browser checks the MIME type to know if a file is an image or a video.
A böngésző a MIME-típus alapján ellenőrzi, hogy egy fájl kép-e vagy videó.
The engineer changed the MIME header to fix the download problem.
A mérnök módosította a MIME-fejlécet, hogy megoldja a letöltési problémát.
Modern email uses MIME to send photos and documents.
If the MIME type is wrong, the file may not open correctly.
Web developers learn many common MIME types, like image/png and text/html.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that this technical sense is usually written in capital letters (MIME) and is different from the performing-arts meaning. In technical texts, uppercase MIME almost always refers to the internet standard.
Meaning
Technical email format standard
Collocations
MIME type
|MIME header
|MIME attachment
|MIME format
|MIME support
|MIME message
Synonyms
internet media type (More formal term used in technical standards; refers specifically to the label that describes the kind of data being sent.)
Antonyms
plain text (Refers to simple text-only content without the additional structure and encoding provided by MIME.)
Themes
technology
|internet
|communication
Definition
A technical rule system that tells email programs how to send and read different kinds of files, like pictures or documents, in messages.
An Internet standard (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) that defines how different kinds of data, such as text, images, audio, and attachments, are formatted and transmitted in email and similar protocols.
Grammar
Dictionary form
mime
IPA
GB/mˈaɪm/
US/mˈaɪm/
Syllables & stress
mime (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (mime)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: mime
- Plural: mime, mimes
Verb
- Base: mime
- 3rd Person Singular: mimes
- Present Participle: miming
- Past: mimed
Word family
Forms
mimes
noun
miming
verb
mimed
verb
Related words
Advanced or less common
mimetic
adjective
Expressions
mime artist
1/mˈaɪm ˈɑɹtɪst/
fixed phrase
Person who performs mime
A person whose job or hobby is to perform mime.
Examples
- The mime artist stood perfectly still before starting his routine.
- She worked as a mime artist in street festivals during the summer.
street mime
1/stɹˈit mˈaɪm/
fixed phrase
Mime performing in public streets
A mime who performs outside in public places, like on a sidewalk or in a square.
Examples
- A street mime gathered a crowd in the busy square.
- On our trip to Rome, we saw a talented street mime near the fountain.