Dictionary

pantomime en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpæn.təˌmʌɪm/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈpæn.təˌmaɪm/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

First appears c. 1606, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómimos), from πᾶς (pâs, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (miméomai, “to mimic”). The verbal form first appears c. 1768.

Meanings

1. (archaic, countable, uncountable) A Classical comic actor, especially one who works mainly through gesture and mime.
   • [He] saw a pantomime perform so well that he could follow the performance from the action alone. 1865, Edward Burnett Tylor, Researches into the Early History of Mankind and the Development of Civilization:
2. (Ancient-Rome, countable, qualifier:Ancient Greece, uncountable) The drama in ancient Greece and Rome featuring such performers; or (later) any of various kinds of performance modelled on such work.
3. (UK, countable, uncountable) A traditional theatrical entertainment, originally based on the commedia dell'arte, but later aimed mostly at children and involving physical comedy, topical jokes, call and response, and fairy-tale plots.
   • With the Stoke supporters jeering Ziv's every subsequent touch, the pantomime atmosphere created by the home crowd reached a crescendo when Ziv was shown a straight red shortly after the break in extraordinary circumstances. 2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 12 Sep 2015:
   • Wilson is no stranger to pantoland: “I have fun memories of seeing pantomimes in Australia when I was a kid. They were on at our local Returned and Services League club – my relatives fought in the wars. My mum also said that when I was two, she took me to my first pantomime in Sydney. 2025 November 28, Hollie Richardson, “Oh yes he is! Kiefer Sutherland dives into the world of panto”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 02 Dec 2025:
4. (countable, uncountable) The act of gesturing without speaking; a dumb-show, a mime.
   • A staid, steadfast man, whose life for the most part was a telling pantomime of action, and not a tame chapter of sounds. 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 26”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
   • In pantomime, Chief Joyi would fling his spear and creep along the veld as he narrated the victories and defeats. 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 26:

Forms

Deriveds

pantomimer · pantomimist · panto · pantomimic · pantomimery · pantomimesque · pantomime villain · pantomimish · pantomime horse

Relateds

mime · sign language · pantomimical · dumb show · dame

Synonyms

panto

Translations (33)

et pantomiim (gesturing without speaking) · cmn 啞劇 /哑剧 (gesturing without speaking) · de Pantomime (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · is látbragðsleikur (gesturing without speaking) · eo pantomimo (gesturing without speaking) · pl pantomima (gesturing without speaking) · ko 팬터마임 (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · ko 팬터마임 (gesturing without speaking) · ja パントマイム (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · tr pantomim (gesturing without speaking) · ms kialan (gesturing without speaking) · ru пантоми́ма (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · ja パントマイム (gesturing without speaking) · sv mim (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · hy մնջախաղ (gesturing without speaking) · ru пантоми́ма (gesturing without speaking) · pt pantomima (gesturing without speaking) · sv pantomim (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · ab апантоми́ма (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · bg пантомима (gesturing without speaking) · de Pantomime (gesturing without speaking) · sv pantomim (gesturing without speaking) · kk пантомима (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · pt mímica (gesturing without speaking) · sv mim (gesturing without speaking) · ro pantomim (gesturing without speaking) · ca pantomima (gesturing without speaking) · pt pantomima (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · es pantomima (gesturing without speaking) · ms pantomim (traditional theatrical entertainment, mostly for children) · ms pantomim (gesturing without speaking) · cs pantomima (gesturing without speaking) · fr pantomime (gesturing without speaking)

wikidata: Q13409536

pantomime en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈpæn.təˌmʌɪm/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈpæn.təˌmaɪm/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

First appears c. 1606, from Latin pantomīmus, from Ancient Greek παντόμιμος (pantómimos), from πᾶς (pâs, “each, all”) + μιμέομαι (miméomai, “to mimic”). The verbal form first appears c. 1768.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make (a gesture) without speaking.
   • I pantomimed steering a car; he understood, and tossed the keys to me.
2. (transitive) To entertain others by silent gestures or actions.

Forms

Translations (2)

sv mima (to gesture without speaking) · sv mima (to entertain others by gestures or actions)