Minion Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms minion American [min-yuhn] / ˈmɪn yən /

noun

1. a servile follower or subordinate of a person in power.

2. a favored or highly regarded person.

3. a minor official.

4. Printing. a 7-point type.

adjective

1. dainty; elegant; trim; pretty.

minion British / ˈmɪnjən /

noun

1. a favourite or dependant, esp a servile or fawning one

2. a servile agent

   the minister's minions

3. a size of printer's type, approximately equal to 7 point

"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

adjective

1. dainty, pretty, or elegant

"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

Etymology

Origin of minion

1490–1500; < Middle French mignon, for Old French mignot dainty < ?

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.

Her speech was over, and Edward Ashton and his minions had been trapped here in the dining hall the whole time, just as she and Simon had planned.

From Literature

If you’re wondering whether and how often your children should be vaccinated, I say you should follow the advice of your doctor rather than the mutterings of Kennedy and his minions.

From Los Angeles Times

She was also a severe asthmatic, always followed by a "frightened minion carrying her asthma inhaler, as though it were a crown, or a sceptre of some sort".

From BBC

It’s not just that he went on Truth Social on Saturday and ordered his minions to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein.”

From Salon

So is virtually everything else about this man and his minions.

From Salon

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.