mini

1 of 3

noun

ˈmi-nē 

plural minis

: something small of its kind: such as

a

: minicar

b

: miniskirt

c

: minicomputer

mini

2 of 3

adjective

1

: small in relation to others of the same kind

2

: of short length or duration : brief

mini-

3 of 3

combining form

: smaller or briefer than usual, normal, or standard

minicourse

minibus

Examples of mini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Kardashian’s longtime friend Olivier Rousteing even tossed her the keys to the Paco Rabanne archives for her birthday, lending her two chainmail minis from fall 1995 haute couture for her birthday dinner. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026

After that mini-break, Williams threw a backward pass to Raymond, who zipped through a tunnel of blocks by Rome Odunze, Darnell Wright, Jonah Jackson and Loveland for a 39-yard run to the Seattle 5-yard line. — Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

Adjective

Starting with DaVinci Resolve, the PROLED MacBook narrowly edged out the mini LED model, arguably within the margin of error, but its lead ahead of the other systems was much clearer. — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026

Officers located and detained Stein in the area, and after a search, found a mini camera that had been discarded in a nearby trash can, police said. — Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

mini-

Combining form

miniature

First Known Use

Noun

1960, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mini

• mini-mart
• mini-pill
• mini-stroke

Rhymes for mini

• finny
• ginny
• jinny
• minnie
• ninny
• pinnae
• skinny
• spinney
• spline
• swinney
• tinny
• whinny

Kids Definition

mini

1 of 2 noun

ˈmin-ē

: something small of its kind: as

a

: miniskirt

b

: minicomputer

mini-

2 of 2 combining form

: very small or short : miniature

minibike

miniskirt

Etymology

Combining form

derived by shortening from miniature