mime
mime — abbreviation
1. a technical standard for email that allows users to send pictures, videos, and o
a technical standard for email that allows users to send pictures, videos, and other files as attachments, and to use non-English characters in messages
Christopher attached a photo to his email, so the system used MIME encoding to handle the file.
MIME encoding for file attachments
Most modern email programs support MIME, which lets you send images and documents.
The email bounced back because the server did not recognise the MIME type of the attachment.
Without MIME, email can only handle plain text with no formatting or pictures.
Ryo checked the email header and saw that the MIME version was 1.0, which is the standard.
用法筆記
Pronounced as one syllable /maɪm/, like the word for the performance art — not spelled out as individual letters.
常見錯誤
mime — noun
1. the art of telling a story or expressing feelings using only body movements, han
the art of telling a story or expressing feelings using only body movements, hand gestures, and facial expressions, without any spoken words or sounds
The street performer used mime to show the crowd how a fisherman catches a big fish.
mime as a performance technique
Sari studied mime in Paris before joining a theatre company in London.
study mime as a formal discipline
The actor's training in mime helped her create more expressive movements on stage.
A mime performer can show an invisible wall by pressing both palms against an imaginary surface.
At the festival, a mime artist in a golden costume stood perfectly still for twenty minutes.
- pantomime
In US English, pantomime can mean the same as mime; in UK English, pantomime is a different, often noisy, family theatre tradition.
- silent acting
A descriptive phrase rather than a fixed art-form name; less precise than 'mime'.
用法筆記
Unlike pantomime, which in British theatre often includes speech and audience participation, mime is performed entirely without sound.
常見錯誤
2. a short performance without speech in which actors use only gestures and body mo
a short performance without speech in which actors use only gestures and body movements to tell a story or show a situation
The theatre group performed a ten-minute mime about a lonely astronaut stranded on the moon.
mime as a countable noun meaning a short play
Jabari wrote a funny mime for the school show, with two friends acting as clumsy waiters.
The children created a short mime about a cat chasing a mouse through a messy kitchen.
A seven-minute mime called 'The Lost Umbrella' won first prize at the drama competition.
Minho's class performed a mime about traffic in Taipei, getting laughs from everyone who watched.
- dumb show
An older term for a silent scene in a play; now rare outside historical contexts.
- silent sketch
A descriptive phrase for a short comic mime piece, often used in comedy.
用法筆記
This countable sense refers to one specific piece of theatre, not the art form itself (which is uncountable — sense 1).
常見錯誤
mime — verb
1. to act out an action, story, or feeling using only your body and facial expressi
to act out an action, story, or feeling using only your body and facial expressions, without making any sound
Heloísa mimed brushing her teeth and washing her face to show her morning routine without words.
mime + gerund to demonstrate an activity
The street performer mimed climbing a ladder that was not really there.
In the language class, students were asked to mime common actions like eating or sleeping.
Talia mimed opening a heavy door and walking through it, making the children laugh.
Selim mimed the actions of a fisherman pulling in a net full of fish.
文法句型
mime + noun phrase
mime + -ing clause
用法筆記
The action being performed is typically expressed as a gerund (mimed climbing) or a noun phrase (mimed the actions of...). When intransitive, the context usually makes the action obvious.
常見錯誤
2. to move your mouth as if singing, playing an instrument, or speaking, while maki
to move your mouth as if singing, playing an instrument, or speaking, while making no sound at all — usually in order to match a pre-recorded audio track
The pop star was caught miming to her own song during the live television show.
mime to [song] — lip-syncing to recorded music
Cyrus knew the tune well enough to mime playing the piano while the recording played.
Aarav forgot the words and simply mimed the chorus while holding the microphone.
In the film, the actors had to mime their lines while the wind drowned out the real dialogue recording.
The choir director asked everyone to mime the words so the audio engineer could adjust the sound levels.
- sing live
To perform with genuine, unrehearsed vocal output.
文法句型
mime + noun phrase
mime + -ing clause
mime + to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often carries a mildly negative tone, suggesting deception or lack of genuine talent, especially in pop music contexts where 'lipping' or 'lip-syncing' is frowned upon.