© OSA 2017. We present an experimental study of ultra-thin tunable THz absorbers based on MEMSdriven metamaterials. Using the high mechanical sensitivity of thin subwavelength metamaterial absorbers, we proposed a paradigm to combine meta-atoms and suspended flat membranes to simultaneously maximize the near-field coupling and avoid resonance broadening. We employed a MEMS technology and successfully fabricated THz absorbers based on integration of meta-atoms and MEMS, demonstrating giant tuning of resonant absorption. The devices presented in this paper are among the best-performing tunable THz absorbers achieved to date, particularly in device thickness and tunability characteristics.