Mine Definition & Meaning

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    • Synonyms mine 1 American [mahyn] / maɪn /

    pronoun

    1. a form of the possessive case of I used as a predicate adjective.

      The yellow sweater is mine.

    2. something that belongs to me.

      Mine is the red car.

    3. Archaic. my (used before a word beginning with a vowel or a silent h, or following a noun).

      mine eyes; lady mine.

    mine 2 American [mahyn] / maɪn /

    noun

    1. an excavation made in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores, coal, precious stones, etc.

    2. a place where valuable minerals may be obtained, either by excavation or by washing the soil.

    3. a natural deposit of valuable minerals.

    4. an abundant source; store.

      The notes at the end of her book are a mine of information on the period she's writing about.

      Synonyms: hoard, fund, stock, supply

    5. a device containing a charge of explosive in a watertight casing, floating on or moored beneath the surface of the water for the purpose of blowing up an enemy ship that strikes it or passes close by it.

    6. a device containing a charge of explosive, typically buried under a shallow layer of dirt for the purpose of blowing up enemy personnel or vehicles that strike it or pass close by it; landmine.

    7. a subterranean passage made to extend under an enemy's works or position, as for the purpose of securing access or of depositing explosives for blowing up a military position.

    8. Entomology. a passageway in the parenchyma of a leaf, made by certain insects.

    verb (used without object)

    mined, mining

    1. to dig in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores, coal, etc.; make a mine.

      Many people would mine for gold and silver in the area during the Gold Rush.

    2. to extract coal, ore, or the like, from a mine.

      My grandfather mined to make his living, and it was hard on his body.

    3. to make subterranean passages.

    4. to place or lay mines, as in naval or other military operations.

    verb (used with object)

    mined, mining

    1. to dig in (earth, rock, etc.) in order to obtain ores, coal, etc..

      They mined the Blue Ridge Mountains for quartzite, copper, iron, and manganese.

    2. to extract (ore, coal, etc.) from a mine.

      Workers mined this tin in Thailand, likely in the late 19th century.

    3. to avail oneself of or draw useful or valuable material from.

      I'll have to mine every resource available to finish my term paper on time.

    4. to use, especially a natural resource.

      The proposal to mine the nation's oldest forests was met with disapproval.

    5. to make subterranean passages in or under; burrow.

    6. to make (passages, tunnels, etc.) by digging or burrowing.

    7. to dig away or remove the foundations of.

    8. to place or lay explosive mines in or under.

      The squad was sent to mine an enemy supply road.

    9. Digital Technology. (of a computer, computer network, software application, etc.) to solve sets of mathematical problems that are used to verify cryptocurrency transactions and that, when solved, yield a unit of that currency in exchange, especially bitcoin.

    10. Agriculture. to grow crops in (soil) over an extended time without fertilizing.

    11. to remove (a natural resource) from its source without attempting to replenish it.

    mine 1 British / maɪn /

    pronoun

    1. something or someone belonging to or associated with me

      mine is best

    2. belonging to or associated with me

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    determiner

    1. (preceding a vowel) an archaic word for my 1

      mine eyes

      mine host

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 mine 2 British / maɪn /

    noun

    1. a system of excavations made for the extraction of minerals, esp coal, ores, or precious stones

    2. any deposit of ore or minerals

    3. a lucrative source or abundant supply

      she was a mine of information

    4. a device containing an explosive designed to destroy ships, vehicles, or personnel, usually laid beneath the ground or in water

    5. a tunnel or sap dug to undermine a fortification

    6. a groove or tunnel made by certain insects, esp in a leaf

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    verb

    1. to dig into (the earth) for (minerals)

    2. to make (a hole, tunnel, etc) by digging or boring

    3. to place explosive mines in position below the surface of (the sea or land)

    4. to undermine (a fortification) by digging mines or saps

    5. another word for undermine

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 mine Scientific / mīn /

    1. An underground excavation in the Earth from which ore, rock, or minerals can be extracted.

    mine Idioms

    1. see back to the salt mines; gold mine; your guess is as good as mine.

    Other Word Forms

    • minable adjective
    • unmined adjective

    Etymology

    Origin of mine1

    First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mīn; cognate with Old Norse mīn, German mein, Gothic meina; my, me

    Origin of mine1

    First recorded in 1275–1325; 1875–80 mine 2 for def. 5; (for the verb) Middle English minen, from Old French miner (cognate with Provençal, Spanish minar, Italian minare ), from Vulgar Latin mīnāre (unrecorded), probably from a Celtic base akin to Middle Irish méin, Welsh mwyn “ore, mineral”; (for the noun) Middle English from Middle French, perhaps noun derivative of miner “to mine” (compare Medieval Latin mina “mine, mineral”)

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    During the summit, Takaichi and the five leaders are expected to establish an "AI partnership" framework, aiming to use technology to explore mineral deposits in undeveloped mines, the Nikkei Asia business daily said.

    From Barron's

    Against the backdrop of recent kidnappings, governors and traditional chiefs from 19 northern states recently dubbed illegal mining a "major contributory factor to the security crises".

    From Barron's

    But he's a friend of mine, so I am going to be biased.

    From BBC

    The father of a friend of mine, who owned a franchise for a company that sold aluminum awnings, qualified as a borax man.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    Therapy often gets mined for comedy but we don’t often see comedy treated as sincere therapy.

    From Los Angeles Times

    Related Words

    • field
    • pit
    • quarry
    • reserve
    • store

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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