mince

verb

\ ˈmin(t)s

minced; mincing

Definition of mince

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to cut or chop into very small pieces She minced the garlic.

b : to subdivide minutely especially : to damage by cutting up The director minced up the play.

2 : to utter or pronounce with affectation minced the word in the manner of the old lady

3a archaic : minimize

b : to restrain (words) within the bounds of decorum minced no words in stating his dislike— J. T. Farrell

intransitive verb

: to walk with short steps in a prim affected manner The comedian minced across the stage.

mince

noun

Definition of mince (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : small chopped bits (as of food) specifically : mincemeat

2 British : hamburger sense 1a

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Examples of mince in a Sentence

Verb

The recipe says that you should mince the onions. minced some garlic and added it to the stew

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

News outlets did not mince words on Thursday when describing Trump walking back earlier promises to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census form. — Oliver Darcy, CNN, "News outlets prep for Tropical Storm Barry," 12 July 2019 As the nation readies for the 2020 elections, Waters did not mince words about the power of the specific voting bloc and the community as a whole. — Tanya A. Christian, Essence, "Rep. Maxine Waters Reminds Black Women At Essence Festival: ‘We Don’t Take S--t From Nobody’," 8 July 2019 In a move that upset both conservatives and some of the more fearful sections of the gay community, Gentry, never one to mince words or hide from the truth, went public with his partner’s death. — Brock Keeling, Curbed, "The rise and fall of Laguna Beach, a gay California hotspot," 26 June 2019 Place prepared sprouts in a bowl and toss with one minced garlic clove, 1/2 of the green onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside. — Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, "Fresh salmon gets a lift in this picture-perfect stack," 21 June 2019 Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield didn't mince his words when discussing his thoughts on Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger on Wednesday. — Alaa Abdeldaiem, SI.com, "Baker Mayfield Takes a Shot at Texas QB Sam Ehlinger: 'I Hope He Knows I Don't Like Him'," 19 June 2019 Josmar Taveras, USA TODAY Actor and producer Robert De Niro didn't mince words during his brief time on stage at Sunday night's Tony Awards. — Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Robert De Niro says 'F--- Trump' at 2018 Tony Awards," 10 June 2018 Norman's Culinary Cue When a recipe needs minced garlic, try peeling the garlic and grating it. — Judy Buchenot, Naperville Sun, "Suburban Cooks: Life changes takes this self-taught chef on journey that started with cooking out of necessity," 11 June 2019 For the crackers: 1 cup chia seeds 2⁄3 cup raw, shelled, unsalted pumpkin seeds 1 cup water 1 clove garlic, minced1 tsp. — Daniel Boulud, ELLE Decor, "Recipe: Pumpkin Soup With Asian Flair," 12 Oct. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Remove any loose skin from peach halves and jalapeno (no need to remove all skin); then chop peach halves, seed and mince jalapeno, and transfer both to bowl. — Washington Post, "Make nicely glazed, unimpeachable peachy grilled chicken," 17 June 2019 The big tires and the Fox 2.0 Performance shocks ate up the washboard and made mince of the ruts, spitting rocks and gravel and laughing at the sandy parts. — Charles Fleming, latimes.com, "The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is a beastly pickup truck that’s built to be battered," 14 June 2019 Interested in the royal recipe for mince pies or ginger Christmas biscuits? — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Listen to Prince Charles Read an Excerpt from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol," 17 Dec. 2018 By some estimates, 370 million mince pies are sold each year—that’s more than five times the U.K. population—with millions more made in homes. — Kathleen Squires, WSJ, "What Your Holiday Table Has Been Missing," 12 Dec. 2018 Meanwhile, mince soaked bread and 10 ounces reserved chicken meat and skin. — Matthew Kronsberg, WSJ, "The Secret to This Dish's Deep Flavor," 18 Oct. 2018 Vegetarians can use grated organic tempeh, extra veggies and a handful of walnuts in place of beef mince. — Time, "Weekend Recipe: A Quick, Tasty and Healthy Spaghetti Bolognese," 4 May 2018 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin didn’t mince words in announcing the sanctions. — Derek Hawkins, Washington Post, "The Cybersecurity 202: Trump administration is taking a tougher line on Russia than Trump," 12 June 2018 Practice knife skills such as how to chop, dice and mince. — The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, "How to start teaching your kids to cook: an age-appropriate guide," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mince.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.