souvenir

noun

sou·​ve·​nir ˈsü-və-ˌnir 

ˌsü-və-ˈnir

: something kept as a reminder (as of a place one has visited)

a souvenir of her travels

a souvenir shop

Synonyms of souvenir

• reminder
• memorial

Examples of souvenir in a Sentence

When I went to the Super Bowl, I kept my ticket stub as a souvenir.

kept their love letters as souvenirs of their courtship

Recent Examples on the Web

Guardians fan Evelyn Moore got a pretty cool souvenir from Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays — a two-run home run ball hit by Cleveland second baseman Daniel Schneemann. —Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026

One slightly heavy Samsonite full of some tourists' Tokyo Disney souvenirs, and that thing is just going to tip over, or its arms will snap off. —Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026

From there, walk Nakamise Street for street snacks and souvenirs. —Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2026

Canteen, the in-house coffee and provisions shop, sells locally roasted coffee and handcrafted souvenirs. —Jen Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, act of remembering, from Middle French, from (se) souvenir to remember, from Latin subvenire to come up, come to mind — more at subvention

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing souvenir

• souvenir sheet
• souvenir shop

Rhymes for souvenir

• auctioneer
• bandelier
• belvedere
• bombardier
• brigadier
• buccaneer
• cavalier
• chandelier
• chanticleer
• chevalier
• commandeer
• disappear

Kids Definition

souvenir

noun

sou·​ve·​nir ˈsü-və-ˌni(ə)r 

ˌsü-və-ˈni(ə)r

: something that serves as a reminder : memento