mine

adjective \ ˈmīn \

Definition of mine

: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

See mine defined for kids

Origin and Etymology of mine

Middle English min, from Old English mīn — more at my

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

mine

pronoun, singular or plural in construction

Definition of mine

: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.

Origin and Etymology of mine

see ¹mine

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

mine

noun

Definition of mine

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

See mine defined for English-language learners

Examples of mine in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of mine from the Web

The Trump administration has put the brakes on a high-level scientific study looking at health impacts to people living near strip mines across Central Appalachia, including eastern Kentucky, officials said Monday.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Trump administration halts strip-mining health study across Central Appalachia," 21 Aug. 2017
Some of my other favorite Aspen hikes are up Smuggler, home to the town’s oldest operating silver mine, and Ajax.

— andrea whittle, CNT, "How to Summer in Aspen, According to Outdoor Voices’ Tyler Haney," 4 Aug. 2017
In many cases, this has been matched by investments in mines and manufacturing plants, shopping centres and corner stores.

— The Economist, "China goes to Africa," 20 July 2017
The landmark battery facility stands in contrast to the national government’s embrace of coal, and particularly the development of a massive new coal mine in central Queensland.

— dennis normile, Science | AAAS, "Tesla to build titanic battery facility," 7 July 2017
Mines have shed 70,000 jobs over the past five years.

— The Economist, "South African mining is in crisis," 4 July 2017
Kemper in particular showed promise because Southern owns a lignite coal mine close to the plant.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Regulators suggest $7.5 billion coal gasifier facility give up, burn natural gas," 26 June 2017
And Cat forbid his son from ever thinking about working in the mines of Red Mountain.

— joseph goodman, AL.com, "On Willie Mays, his father and the final childhood summer of the Say Hey Kid," 17 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of mine

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *mina, probably of Celt origin; akin to Welsh mwyn ore

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

mine Synonyms

Synonyms

argosy, cornucopia, gold mine, mother lode, treasure trove, wellspring

Related Words

armory, repository, stockpot, store, storehouse, treasure-house; cache, hoard, stash; bonanza, Golconda, gravy train, honeypot

Near Antonyms

black hole, sinkhole

Other Mining and Drilling Terms

ore, trepan, wildcat

mine

verb

Definition of mine

mined; mining

transitive verb

1 a :to dig under to gain access or cause the collapse of (an enemy position)

b :undermine

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

intransitive verb

:to dig a mine

—

miner

noun

See mine defined for English-language learners

Examples of mine in a Sentence

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 of mine from the Web

Both mine their main characters’ cluelessness for laughs.

— stephanie merry, kansascity, "‘Brigsby Bear’ a warmly uncynical comedy about pop-culture obsession," 17 Aug. 2017
Rally Cry: Shining my headlamp into the darkest spaces helps me mine my diamonds.

— bess matassa, Teen Vogue, "Weekly Horoscopes August Week 1," 28 July 2017
Scott agrees that habitats around mining operations will be impacted.

— kyle frischkorn, Smithsonian, "Why The First Complete Map of the Ocean Floor Is Stirring Controversial Waters," 13 July 2017
This information is captured, mined, and sometimes sold, often without your knowledge or consent.

— Naperville Sun, "Letters to the editor: Roundup, Naper Settlement, Carillon, dog rescue," 29 June 2017
Nor should the past be mined for superficial historical references, as too often was the case with postmodernism.

— blair kamin, chicagotribune.com, "McCormick House project aims to restore Mies gem," 27 June 2017
Coal’s fortunes had appeared to hit a new low less than two weeks ago, when British energy company BP reported that tonnage mined worldwide fell 6.5 percent in 2016, the largest drop on record.

— katy daigle, The Seattle Times, "Coal on the rise in China, U.S., India after major 2016 drop," 26 June 2017
But though that world may seem monolithic to outsiders, as Nehama and director Emil Ben-Shimon well understand, there is a genuine rift there, a clash of cultures often unspoken and unacknowledged that the film has adroitly mined.

— kenneth turan, chicagotribune.com, "'The Women's Balcony': Clash of the sexes, culture in Israeli comedy," 15 June 2017
This private cavern in Childersburg has been used by Native Americans, moonshiners, and mined for Civil War gunpowder.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "4 types of Alabama road trips you must take this summer," 12 June 2017

First Known Use of mine

14th century

mine Synonyms

Synonyms

booby-trap

Related Words

blow up, bomb; ambush, snare, trap; attack

MINE Defined for English Language Learners

mine

noun

Definition of mine for English Language Learners

: a pit or tunnel from which minerals (such as coal, gold, diamonds, etc.) are taken
: a bomb that is placed in the ground or in water and that explodes when it is touched
: a rich source of something (such as information)

mine

verb

Definition of mine for English Language Learners

: to dig a mine in order to find and take away coal, gold, diamonds, etc.
: to find and take away (coal, gold, diamonds, etc.) from a mine
: to search for something valuable in (something)

MINE Defined for Kids

mine

pronoun \ ˈmīn \

Definition of mine for Students

:that which belongs to me

That book is mine.

Those books are mine.

mine

noun

Definition of mine for Students

1 :a pit or tunnel from which minerals (as coal, gold, or diamonds) are taken

2 :an explosive device placed in the ground or water and set to explode when disturbed (as by an enemy soldier, vehicle, or ship)

3 :a rich source of supply

She was a mine of information.

mine

verb

Definition of mine for Students

mined; mining

1 :to dig or work in a mine

They mined the hills for gold.

2 :to obtain from a mine

mine coal

3 :to place explosive mines in or under

mine a field

—

miner

noun

Learn More about mine

See words that rhyme with mine Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mine Spanish Central: Translation of mine Nglish: Translation of mine for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mine for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mine

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Definition of mine

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Origin and Etymology of mine

mine

Definition of mine

Origin and Etymology of mine

mine

Definition of mine

Examples of mine in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mine from the Web

Origin and Etymology of mine

mine Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Mining and Drilling Terms

mine

Definition of mine

miner

Examples of mine in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mine from the Web

First Known Use of mine

mine Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to MINE

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MINE Defined for English Language Learners

mine

Definition of mine for English Language Learners

mine

Definition of mine for English Language Learners

MINE Defined for Kids

mine

Definition of mine for Students

mine

Definition of mine for Students

mine

Definition of mine for Students

miner

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