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Meme Vs. Gif: Main Differences And Uses For These Words

Meme Vs. Gif: Main Differences And Uses For These Words

Studies show that the average person spends at least two hours looking at a phone or a computer screen daily. Elements like memes and gifs are what keep people glued to their screens. So, in this meme vs. gif post, we will let you know what these words mean and how they are different from each other.

A meme is a cultural item in the form of an image, phrase, or video, spread via the internet and often altered creatively or humorously. In contrast, a gif is any short video without sounds that plays in a loop. A meme is usually a static image, while a gif features moving pictures or video.

Memes and gifs are the order of the day on social media platforms, from Instagram and Facebook to Twitter. However, very few people understand or can explain their differences. So, read on to learn more about these words, especially their meanings, usage, and differences.

meme word wood

Definitions Of Meme And Gif

Many people use the words meme and Gif. However, most of them cannot define these words. Unfortunately, this is not something new. People often use words that they cannot extrapolate when asked. For this reason, we begin this comprehensive meme vs. gif article by explaining the definitions of both terms. We came up with the following definitions from extensive research.

What Is The Definition Of Meme?

A meme is a picture, video, template, or quiz featuring humorous content, usually copied and circulated online with slight adaptations. Here is an example in a sentence, “My mum keeps sending the same meme to all my siblings repeatedly.”

Another definition of a meme is a cultural item transmitted by repetition or replication, like the biological transmission of genes. For example, in a sentence, “Mr. Rahim used a meme as a feedback process to examine the study results.”

Some dictionaries define a meme as “any unit of cultural information, like practices or ideas transmitted verbally or through repeated actions from one mind to another in the same way biological gene transmission occurs. Let’s look at a sentence example, “I am amazed by how the cultural meme made its way to the 21st century decades after its extinction.”

What Is The Definition Of Gif?

A gif is any video that plays on a loop, usually without audio. Gifs are a common internet phenomenon. An example sentence is, “The students will not stop passing around the funny gif unless you stop giving them the same reaction.”

In computing, a gif is a bitmap image format for images with support for animations and about 256 colors per frame, including fully transparent colors. Here is an example sentence, “I asked the designer to save the image in gif format, but he ignored my request.”

Another dictionary defines a gif as a set of standards and file format for storing digital color images and short animated videos or images. For example, in a sentence, “James will still struggle when creating and storing images in gif format.”

The term is also the noun for an image, file, or video encoded in gif file format, in a sentence, “The gif Michael created is the funniest thing I saw on the internet today.” Note that Gif is an acronym for “Graphic Interchange Format”

How To Properly Use Meme And Gif In A Sentence

Meme and Gif are quite popular terms, especially online. So, you have probably used these words at one point or another. However, are you using them correctly? Find out by reading the content below:

How To Use The Word Meme

Use this word in the following contexts:

  • Referring to a phenomenon that has gained popularity for a short time
  • Discussing a propagating mutating cultural unit that forms the subject of memetics
  • Referring to anything that progresses quickly
  • Referring to a circulating internet phenomenon, which is typically humorous

Note that this word is a noun. Therefore, applying the basic grammar rules for noun use and placement in a sentence would be wise.

The plural form of the word meme is “memes.” For example, in a sentence, “I loved the memes you posted on our group chat last night.” Since meme is typically a noun and not a verb, it does not have other word forms, like past tense.

How To Use The Word Gif

Use this word as a noun in the following contexts:

  • Referring to a short video
  • Referring to a digital image in the gif format

The plural form of the word Gif is “gifs.” For example, “I have many gifs on my phone, most of which are from my chats with my crush.”

Meme Vs. Gif: More Differences

Apart from the definition, there are other more superficial differences between these words. Here are the most prominent ones:

Pronunciation

The most common pronunciation for the word Gif is “/jif/.” However, you can also pronounce it as “/gif/.” The word Gif features a soft “g” sound. Something interesting about this word is that it is a mono-syllable word. Like Gif, meme is also a mono-syllable word. However, its correct pronunciation is “/meem/.”

History And Etymology

While the internet has contributed to the popularity of the words gif and meme, you will be shocked to realize that these words are not new.

For instance, the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins came up with the word “meme” coined from Green Sources, like “mimeisthai,” meaning “to imitate,” in 1976. However, its internet definition (that most people know) came about in 1993.

On the other hand, the word gif came about in 1987 as the acronym from Graphics Interchange Format.” However, this word gained internet popularity in the early 2000s. Note: You can convert a meme into a gif, and vice versa too.

Word Usage Posts

List Of Examples Of Meme And Gif Use In Sentences

From the context above, now you know whether or not you have been using these words correctly. To further help you understand how you can use these words in sentences, we curated some examples that show how you can use these words in various contexts. Here are some incredible examples of the words meme and Gif in sentences:

meme reaction couple

Example sentences of meme

  1. Jane will not stop sending this meme to the group unless we give him the response he expects.
  2. Did you know that the word meme has been around since 1976?
  3. This was the first meme I saw on the internet when I joined social media.
  4. Jane did not expect to become a meme when she posted her video.
  5. A meme is a cultural phenomenon, but most people think it is about internet entertainment.

Example sentences of Gif

  1. In my computing class, I learned how to turn a meme into a gif and vice versa.
  2. Please click on the menu for options supporting the gif file format.
  3. This software does not support the gif file storage format.
  4. I have watched this GIF many times and still do not understand what it means.
  5. The instructor will not accept any files saved in Gif or JPEG format.

Conclusion

Gifs and memes are widespread internet phenomena. However, people do not recognize there is more to these words than social media fun. Thanks to this post, you now have a clear overview of the words. This article also aims to inform readers about the differences between these words in various contexts.

Like Gif and meme, several other words confuse people because of their related meanings. Therefore, our goal is to help you improve your diction and clarify confusing terms. Now that you have learned about these words, browse other categories of this site to learn more and improve your grammar.