mince

1 of 2

verb

minced; mincing

transitive verb

1
a
: 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
3
a
archaic : minimize
b
: to restrain (words) within the bounds of decorum
minced no words in stating his dislikeJ. T. Farrell

intransitive verb

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

mince

2 of 2

noun

1
: small chopped bits (as of food)
specifically : mincemeat
2
British : hamburger sense 1a

Examples of mince in a Sentence

Verb She minced the onions. minced some garlic and added it to the stew
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
This rocker knife can be used to mince vegetables or chop up your favorite salads in no time. Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024 Along with his servant, Patsy (Terry Gilliam), horseman Lancelot (John Cleese), and Sir Robin (Eric Idle), the men embark on a quest to obtain the Holy Grail, facing giants, murderous shrubbery, and mincing sirens along the way. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2024 Lewis was appointed publisher and chief executive in January and didn’t mince words about the beleaguered state of the Post. Brian Stelter, CNN, 9 Sep. 2024 Tech billionaire Elon Musk did not mince words when declaring his support for the Second Amendment on Sunday. Emma Colton, Fox News, 8 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mince 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mince.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French mincer, from Vulgar Latin *minutiare, from Latin minutia smallness — more at minutia

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mince was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near mince

Cite this Entry

“Mince.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mince. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

mince

1 of 2 verb
minced; mincing
1
: to cut into very small pieces
2
: to act, walk, or speak in an unnaturally dainty way
mincingly
ˈmin(t)-siŋ-lē
adverb

mince

2 of 2 noun
: small bits into which something is chopped
especially : mincemeat

More from Merriam-Webster on mince

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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