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
Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Air cargo demand from Asia to North America declined 10.7 percent annually in May in the month following the U.S. closure of the de minimis trade exemption for goods imported from China.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 30 June 2025
The order also ended the de minimis exemption for Chinese goods, whereby small items valued at $800 or less and shipped directly to U.S. consumers were exempted from customs declarations and duties.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 9 June 2025
For the past decade, a tax loophole known as the de minimis exemption allowed goods worth up to $800 to enter the United States without import duties.
—Meaghan Tobin, New York Times, 14 May 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 6 Jul. 2025.
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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