1
a
: the 60th part of an hour of time : 60 seconds
b
: the 60th part of a degree of angular measure
Its latitude is 41 degrees 55 minute north.
2
: the distance one can traverse in a minute
Five minutes down the road is a gas station.
3
: a short space of time : moment
Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes.
4
a
: a brief note (as of summary or recommendation)
He received a minute of instructions.
b
: memorandum, draft
sent the president a minute explaining the problem
c
minutes plural
: the official record of the proceedings of a meeting
The secretary read the minutes of the previous meeting.
minuter; minutest
1
: very small : infinitesimal
2
: of small importance : trifling
3
: marked by close attention to details
minuteness
noun
minuted; minuting
: to make notes or a brief summary of
Synonyms
Examples of minute in a Sentence
Noun
Bake the cake for 25–30 minutes.
We waited for several minutes, but no one came to the door.
I saw him a minute ago.
Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes.
One minute it was sunny, the next it was pouring rain.
My house is just a few minutes from here.
The secretary read the minutes of the last meeting.
Adjective
There were minute particles of dust in the air.
The test detected minute amounts of contamination.
The equipment is able to detect the minutest errors.
She told him what happened in minute detail.
a minute examination of the evidence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024
Totality starts at 1:59 p.m. and lasts for nearly three minutes.
—Katie Wiseman, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2024
Book lovers will want to detour into Eureka, 40 minutes to the north, where charming Second Street is home to two impressive bookstores.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Lyles made all five of his shots in the first half as the Kings outscored the Nets by 28 points in Lyles’ 15 first-half minutes.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
For a few precious minutes, if the clouds don’t interfere, eclipse watchers will experience the surreality of being held by the shadow of the moon.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
But the chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for every minute that passes without any CPR at all.
—Helen Ouyang, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
For the first 25 minutes, the Arizona Senate's floor session on March 18th was unremarkable.
—Wayne Schutsky, NPR, 27 Mar. 2024
Mix the ingredients into a paste, then apply a layer onto the grout and let sit for at least five to 10 minutes before scrubbing.
—Kalina Newman, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
In his apartment, Paules has a minute fraction of that total, but more than enough to sustain his hobby.
—Joe Heim, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024
Crowder began practicing in five-on-five settings last week and returns to action in Cleveland, albeit with a minute restriction.
—Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024
Its sensitivity allowed astrophysicists to detect minute changes in starlight linked to stellar oscillations, which affect both the radius and the brightness of the star.
—WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023
Effects such as these would be minute, but intergalactic distances could magnify them to detectable levels.
—Thomas Lewton, Quanta Magazine, 29 June 2023
Suddenly, even minute changes in earthquakes, gas emissions or deformation need to be watched closely because the margins are much narrower with all the people to potentially evacuate if an eruption is in the cards.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 8 Oct. 2023
In health care, their research is being applied to improve diagnostics, with the potential to create tests that can detect minute changes in the level of molecules in the blood.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 3 Oct. 2023
The estimates vary, but all told, only a minute percentage of victims ever see their money again.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023
Noun
The solar eclipse will last 3 minutes, 49.4 seconds in Indianapolis, according to eclipse2024.org.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024
Totality starts at 1:59 p.m. and lasts for nearly three minutes.
—Katie Wiseman, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2024
Book lovers will want to detour into Eureka, 40 minutes to the north, where charming Second Street is home to two impressive bookstores.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Lyles made all five of his shots in the first half as the Kings outscored the Nets by 28 points in Lyles’ 15 first-half minutes.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Apr. 2024
For a few precious minutes, if the clouds don’t interfere, eclipse watchers will experience the surreality of being held by the shadow of the moon.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
But the chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for every minute that passes without any CPR at all.
—Helen Ouyang, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
For the first 25 minutes, the Arizona Senate's floor session on March 18th was unremarkable.
—Wayne Schutsky, NPR, 27 Mar. 2024
Mix the ingredients into a paste, then apply a layer onto the grout and let sit for at least five to 10 minutes before scrubbing.
—Kalina Newman, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The finding is evidence that seemingly minute changes to an animal’s physiology can translate the same command from the nervous system into different ways of moving.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
In his apartment, Paules has a minute fraction of that total, but more than enough to sustain his hobby.
—Joe Heim, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024
Crowder began practicing in five-on-five settings last week and returns to action in Cleveland, albeit with a minute restriction.
—Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024
Its sensitivity allowed astrophysicists to detect minute changes in starlight linked to stellar oscillations, which affect both the radius and the brightness of the star.
—WIRED, 26 Nov. 2023
Effects such as these would be minute, but intergalactic distances could magnify them to detectable levels.
—Thomas Lewton, Quanta Magazine, 29 June 2023
Suddenly, even minute changes in earthquakes, gas emissions or deformation need to be watched closely because the margins are much narrower with all the people to potentially evacuate if an eruption is in the cards.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 8 Oct. 2023
In health care, their research is being applied to improve diagnostics, with the potential to create tests that can detect minute changes in the level of molecules in the blood.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 3 Oct. 2023
The estimates vary, but all told, only a minute percentage of victims ever see their money again.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near minute
Cite this Entry
“Minute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minute. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
minute
1 of 2 noun
min·ute
ˈmin-ət 
1
a
: the 60th part of an hour of time
b
: the 60th part of a degree of angular measure
2
: the distance one can cover in a minute
3
4
plural
: a brief record of what went on in a meeting
Medical Definition
minute
noun
min·ute
ˈmin-ət
: a 60th part of an hour of time or of a degree
Legal Definition
minute
noun
min·ute
ˈmi-nət
1
: a brief note (as of summary or recommendation)
3
plural
: the official record of the proceedings of a meeting or court
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