emoji

noun

emo·​ji ē-ˈmō-jē How to pronounce emoji (audio)
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
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Examples of emoji in a Sentence

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.
The veteran guard has now broken his silence on the deal with a simple emoji message. Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025 The star kept his caption short and sweet, tagging his wife's social media handle and adding a blue heart emoji. Nicholas Rice, People.com, 14 June 2025 In the comments, industry peers shared supportive emojis, including The Boys‘ costar Susan Heyward and See actress Nesta Cooper. Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 14 June 2025 Courtesy of Apple There's a few smaller design changes, such as the ability to change the color of folders or add an emoji to them. Luke Larsen, Wired News, 11 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for emoji

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, literally, "pictograph," from e "picture, drawing" + moji "letter, character"

First Known Use

1997, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emoji was in 1997

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Emoji.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emoji. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

emoji

noun
emo·​ji
ē-ˈmō-jē
plural emoji or emojis
: any of various small images, symbols, or icons used in electronic communication (as email) to express the feelings or attitude of the writer or to present information concisely or playfully
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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