1
: a servile dependent, follower, or underling
He's one of the boss's minions.
2
: one highly favored : idol
his great charity to the poor renders him the minion of the people—
Jonas Hanway
Jonas Hanway3
: a subordinate (see subordinate entry 1 sense 1) or petty official
government minions
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The Origins of Minion
Minion comes from Middle French and is related to filet mignon. The two terms are connected by mignon, meaning "darling." The earliest uses of minion refer to someone who is a particular favorite of a sovereign or other important personage. Over time, however, the word developed a more derogatory sense referring to a person who is servile and unimportant.
Examples of minion in a Sentence
one of the boss's minions
most of the top appointments went to the new governor's personal minions and political cronies
Recent Examples on the Web
Musk’s minions were also granted access to the entire Treasury Department payment system and have proceeded to block payments to select federal contractors.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
The funeral procession that climaxes Emilia Pérez is the damnedest, craziest thing since Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic minions draped kente cloth stoles over their shoulders and kneeled to canonize George Floyd at the Capitol.
—Armond White, National Review, 29 Jan. 2025
The news comes as Musk’s minions take over the US Office of Personnel Management, which acts as a human resources department for the federal workforce.
—Zoë Schiffer, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025
Loosely inspired by Rondo of Blood and its follow-on Symphony of the Night, Castlevania: Nocturne follows the path of Richter Belmont and his allies against the minions of darkness.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
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Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
The funeral procession that climaxes Emilia Pérez is the damnedest, craziest thing since Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic minions draped kente cloth stoles over their shoulders and kneeled to canonize George Floyd at the Capitol.
—Armond White, National Review, 29 Jan. 2025
The news comes as Musk’s minions take over the US Office of Personnel Management, which acts as a human resources department for the federal workforce.
—Zoë Schiffer, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025
Loosely inspired by Rondo of Blood and its follow-on Symphony of the Night, Castlevania: Nocturne follows the path of Richter Belmont and his allies against the minions of darkness.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for minion
Dictionary Entries Near minion
Cite this Entry
“Minion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minion. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
minion
noun
min·ion
ˈmin-yən 
1
: a person who obediently serves or works for a usually powerful person or organization
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