: my
—used before a word beginning with a vowel or h
this treasure in mine arms—
William Shakespeare
or sometimes as a modifier of a preceding noun —archaic except in an elevated style
William Shakespeare
singular or plural in construction
: that which belongs to me
—used without a following noun as a pronoun equivalent in meaning to the adjective my
Your eyes are brown and mine are green.
1
a
: a pit or excavation in the earth from which mineral substances are taken
b
: an ore deposit
2
: a subterranean passage under an enemy position
3
: an encased explosive that is placed in the ground or in water and set to explode when disturbed
4
: a rich source of supply
mined; mining
1
a
: to dig under to gain access or cause the collapse of (an enemy position)
b
2
a
: to get (something, such as ore) from the earth
b
: to extract from a source
information mined from the files
3
: to burrow beneath the surface of
larva that mines leaves
4
: to place military mines in, on, or under
mine a harbor
5
a
: to dig into for ore or metal
b
: to process for obtaining a natural constituent
mine the air for nitrogen
c
: to seek valuable material in
mine old records for more details
6
: to create or obtain more units of (a cryptocurrency) through a cryptographic process
But bitcoins also need to be generated in the first place. Bitcoins are "mined" when you set your Bitcoin client to a mode that has it compete to update the public log of transactions. All the clients set to this mode race to solve a cryptographic puzzle by completing the next "block" of the shared transaction log. Winning the race to complete the next block wins you a 50-Bitcoin prize.—Tom Simonite
Tom Simonite
: to dig a mine
miner
noun
Synonyms
Examples of mine in a Sentence
Noun
a baseball fanatic who is a mine of fascinating trivia about the game
the soldiers were careful to disarm any mines they found in their path
Verb
The area was soon filled with prospectors who were mining for gold.
Prospectors mined the region for diamonds.
Local people were hired to mine the gold.
The enemy had mined the harbor.
Recent Examples on the WebGeorg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2024
Torres now works building homes for and rents to mine workers that have flooded the region.
—Megan Janetsky, Victor R. Caivano and Rodrigo Abd, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
Also, foundations for homes were built with mine tailings, which exposed people to toxic levels of mercury and other toxic substances.
—The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024
The mine backfill inputs have been reviewed and verified by Dr. David Stone, P.Eng. of MineFill Services, Seattle, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2024
Until now, Ukraine has not had a national plan on how to deal with the mine problem—its ad hoc response has been split between the military, NGOs, a small number of private mine-clearance companies, and a small network of government mine-clearance operators.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 19 Feb. 2024
Cathy McGrath is among the closest neighbors to the project, with a home backing onto the mountains and just across an arroyo from where the company intends to move mine tailings.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024
To fund these wars, Congolese leaders sold mine sites to foreigners.
—Amel Mukhtar, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024
To add to the mystery, Scarpetta’s assistant discovers a footprint in the mine dust that could only belong to Bigfoot.
—Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2024
John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
If deep-sea mining follows the same trajectory as offshore oil production, more than one-third of these critical metals will come from deep-ocean mines by 2065, the federal agency estimated.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
The mine was deserted, and the miners were gone, for now.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
But after working in a place that snatches souls… mine is in tact and of the light.
—Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
On a related note, the Associated Press’ Bruce Schreiner and Isabella O’Malley report that the Biden administration is giving out nearly half a billion dollars for clean energy projects on current and former mines, including in Arizona and Nevada.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
His manager told him to go home: The mine was closed.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
The Pioneer mine is one of the largest gold mining operations in Russia based on processing capacity, Reuters reported, citing Russian media.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 20 Mar. 2024
The region’s physical and political landscape has been shaped by the emergence and decline of those mines, waterways and factories, notably Bethlehem Steel.
—Akayla Gardner, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
As the number of bitcoin created rises to its 21 million maximum, the reward for mining new bitcoin halves.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Logs were sourced from one of the oldest wooden structures in the U.S., a former sugar mill in Missouri, stone countertops were imported from China, stone flooring was brought in from Transylvania, and marble was mined in Colorado before it was shipped to Italy for cutting and finishing.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
That sound is increasingly prevalent on TikTok, as Gen Z and Gen Alpha begin to mine the recent past for inspiration.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024
In the same way the price of gold is linked to a degree to the cost of clawing ore from the ground, the price of bitcoin should at least loosely mirror the hardware and energy costs associated with mining new bitcoin.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
Plus, Bitcoin’s upcoming halving event, where the reward for mining its transactions is cut in half, is expected to push the top cryptocurrency to new heights.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Wakely first struck a deal with Universal Music Group in 2018 to mine its library for projects.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
Green used her decades of experience in industries from railroads to mining to decide which companies were apt to survive and which were likely to die when times were tough.
—Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 17 Mar. 2024
Adjective
If interested in a topic, audiences will get to mine BBC content across text, audio, photos video, and more.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2024
Torres now works building homes for and rents to mine workers that have flooded the region.
—Megan Janetsky, Victor R. Caivano and Rodrigo Abd, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
Also, foundations for homes were built with mine tailings, which exposed people to toxic levels of mercury and other toxic substances.
—The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024
The mine backfill inputs have been reviewed and verified by Dr. David Stone, P.Eng. of MineFill Services, Seattle, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2024
Until now, Ukraine has not had a national plan on how to deal with the mine problem—its ad hoc response has been split between the military, NGOs, a small number of private mine-clearance companies, and a small network of government mine-clearance operators.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 19 Feb. 2024
Cathy McGrath is among the closest neighbors to the project, with a home backing onto the mountains and just across an arroyo from where the company intends to move mine tailings.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024
To fund these wars, Congolese leaders sold mine sites to foreigners.
—Amel Mukhtar, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024
To add to the mystery, Scarpetta’s assistant discovers a footprint in the mine dust that could only belong to Bigfoot.
—Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2024
Noun
An additional 70 people were trapped in a mine in Heping, northwest of Hualien.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
If deep-sea mining follows the same trajectory as offshore oil production, more than one-third of these critical metals will come from deep-ocean mines by 2065, the federal agency estimated.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
The mine was deserted, and the miners were gone, for now.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
But after working in a place that snatches souls… mine is in tact and of the light.
—Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
On a related note, the Associated Press’ Bruce Schreiner and Isabella O’Malley report that the Biden administration is giving out nearly half a billion dollars for clean energy projects on current and former mines, including in Arizona and Nevada.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
His manager told him to go home: The mine was closed.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
The Pioneer mine is one of the largest gold mining operations in Russia based on processing capacity, Reuters reported, citing Russian media.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 20 Mar. 2024
The region’s physical and political landscape has been shaped by the emergence and decline of those mines, waterways and factories, notably Bethlehem Steel.
—Akayla Gardner, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
The upcoming Bitcoin halving event, which will reduce the reward for mining new Bitcoin by half around mid-April, is also responsible for market volatility.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
As the number of bitcoin created rises to its 21 million maximum, the reward for mining new bitcoin halves.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Logs were sourced from one of the oldest wooden structures in the U.S., a former sugar mill in Missouri, stone countertops were imported from China, stone flooring was brought in from Transylvania, and marble was mined in Colorado before it was shipped to Italy for cutting and finishing.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
That sound is increasingly prevalent on TikTok, as Gen Z and Gen Alpha begin to mine the recent past for inspiration.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024
In the same way the price of gold is linked to a degree to the cost of clawing ore from the ground, the price of bitcoin should at least loosely mirror the hardware and energy costs associated with mining new bitcoin.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024
Plus, Bitcoin’s upcoming halving event, where the reward for mining its transactions is cut in half, is expected to push the top cryptocurrency to new heights.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Wakely first struck a deal with Universal Music Group in 2018 to mine its library for projects.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
Green used her decades of experience in industries from railroads to mining to decide which companies were apt to survive and which were likely to die when times were tough.
—Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 17 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mine
Cite this Entry
“Mine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mine. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mine
2 of 4 pronounˈmīn
: my one : my ones
mine
3 of 4 nounˈmīn
1
: a pit or tunnel from which minerals (as coal, gold, or diamonds) are taken
2
: a deposit of ore
3
: an underground passage dug beneath an enemy position
4
: an explosive device placed in the ground or water and set to explode when disturbed
5
: a rich source
a mine of information
mine
4 of 4 verbˈmīn
mined; mining
1
: to dig or form mines under a place
2
: to obtain from a mine
mine coal
3
: to lay military mines in or under
mine a harbor
4
: to work in a mine
miner
noun
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English min "my," from Old English mīn
Noun
Middle English mine "a pit or tunnel for digging out coal, gold, or diamonds," from early French mine (same meaning)
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