de minimis
adjective
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Proponents of readable prose over jargon and legalese might argue that the last thing 20th-century American jurisprudence needed was another Latin term. Yet here we have a legal term that entered English only around 1950. Perhaps we should clarify: the legal doctrine of de minimis non curat lex ("the law does not concern itself with trifling matters") has been around for a while, but use of de minimis on its own is relatively recent. At first, the shortened phrase was simply used to refer to the legal doctrine itself ("the de minimis rule"). Then it came to be used more broadly as an adjective ("de minimis contacts with the defendant"). Finally, de minimis leaked out of the courtroom and into the world at large.
Examples of de minimis in a Sentence
Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Jan. 2026
About 48% of de minimis packages were shipped to America’s poorest zip codes, while 22% were delivered to the richest ones, according to research in February from UCLA and Yale economists.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Over the last decade, the number of de minimis international shipments claiming to be exempt from inspection surged from 140 million a year to 1 billion a year, the researchers found.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 15 Dec. 2025
The tax is a stop-gap measure that will remain in place until a permanent solution is reached regarding the elimination of Europe’s de minimis exemption, which applies to shipments worth up to 150 euros.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for de minimis
Cite this Entry
“De minimis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/de%20minimis. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
de minimis
adjective
Note: An action may be dismissed if the claim or cause is considered de minimis.
New Latin, concerning trifles
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