: 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
William Shakespeare
singular or plural in construction
: 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.
He is a friend 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
is a mine of information
mined; mining
1
a
: to dig under to gain access or cause the collapse of (an enemy position)
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
6
: to create or obtain more units of (a cryptocurrency) through a cryptographic process
Creating, or mining, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is a … process in which vast computer networks compete online for newly created crypto tokens.—Ephrat Livni
Ephrat Livni
: to dig a mine
miner
noun
min·er
ˈmīnə(r)
plural -s
1
: one that mines: such as
a
: one that constructs or lays military mines
especially
: a soldier having such duties
b
: one engaged in the business or occupation of getting ore, coal, precious substances, or other natural substances out of the earth
c
: a machine for automatic mining (as of coal)
d
: a worker on the construction of underground tunnels and shafts (as for roads, railways, waterways)
2
a
: any of numerous insects that in the larval state excavate galleries in the parenchyma of leaves
b
: any of several honey eaters of Australia and Tasmania (as Myzantha melanocephala)
Examples of mine in a Sentence
Noun (1)
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
Verb
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 on the Web
Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 16 June 2026
The official said Britain and France, for instance, may be able to have ships in the Strait of Hormuz to help with its reopening and the removal of mines.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 16 June 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress earlier this month that Iran had mined large segments of Hormuz.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mine
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Georgia’s Golden Isles are a favorite vacation destination of mine, and a big reason for that is the area’s historic gems like Sea Island.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 16 June 2026
The official said Britain and France, for instance, may be able to have ships in the Strait of Hormuz to help with its reopening and the removal of mines.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Verb
The platform, which has 600 million active monthly users, mined search information.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 16 June 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress earlier this month that Iran had mined large segments of Hormuz.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mine
Cite this Entry
“Mine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mine. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mine
2 of 4 pronounˈmīn
: my one : my ones
mine
3 of 4 nounˈmīn
1
: a pit or tunnel from which minerals (as coal, gold, or diamonds) are taken
2
: a deposit of ore
3
: an underground passage dug beneath an enemy position
4
: an explosive device placed in the ground or water and set to explode when disturbed
5
: a rich source
a mine of information
mine
4 of 4 verbˈmīn
mined; mining
1
: to dig or form mines under a place
2
: to obtain from a mine
mine coal
3
: to lay military mines in or under
mine a harbor
4
: to work in a mine
miner
noun
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English min "my," from Old English mīn
Noun
Middle English mine "a pit or tunnel for digging out coal, gold, or diamonds," from early French mine (same meaning)
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