Showing results for "mine"

• possessive of I.

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.

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mine ² American  

[mahyn] / maɪn /

noun

• mines
  plural

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.

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verb (used without object)

• mines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mined,
  past participle,  past
• mining
  present participle

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)

• mines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mined,
  past participle,  past
• mining
  present participle

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 /

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

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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

mine ² British  

/ maɪn /

pronoun

1. something or someone belonging to or associated with me

   mine is best

2. belonging to or associated with me

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determiner

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

   mine eyes

   mine host

mine Scientific  

/ mīn /

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

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mine Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minable
  adjective
• unmined
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mines
  plural

Participles

• mining
  present
• mined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• mine
  simple
• mines
  simple
• have mined
  perfect
• has mined
  perfect
• am mining
  progressive
• are mining
  progressive
• is mining
  progressive
• have been mining
  perfect progressive
• has been mining
  perfect progressive

Past

• mined
  simple
• had mined
  perfect
• was mining
  progressive
• were mining
  progressive
• had been mining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will mine
  simple
• will have mined
  perfect
• will be mining
  progressive
• will have been mining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mine¹

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

Origin of mine²

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”)

Explanation

A mine is a hole in the earth from which workers take valuable things: coal, diamonds, copper. It is also a bomb that explodes when it's touched, often buried in the earth. When you think of mines, think of something beneath the surface or hidden. People mine for gold by sifting through water and rocks. West Virginia is famous for its coal mines. A mine field might describe a field laced with explosives — such as landmines. When people put these explosives in place, they're mining the land. Also, any dangerous situation can be called a mine field. Talking about sensitive subjects — like religion or race — is a verbal mine field for sure.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mine mines mined mining

“To be so far from my country and to connect with people in a country so different from mine, like the U.S., it’s such an honor.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Elephants come from time to time from Tsavo and Amboseli. They destroy many farms, not just mine," Michael said.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Canada Nickel plans an open-pit mine with the capacity to produce roughly 240,000 metric tons of ore a day and mill with input capacity of 120,000 tons daily, all operating for about 41 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

“This is so toxic. I’m leaving,” a friend of mine texted me from the event.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

As I handed mine to the officer, she pointed to the simple gold ring that had belonged to Mama.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

He also said that the UK is ready to lead a naval mission to help remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz "when the conditions are right".

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Recycling aluminium, which can be done infinitely, means less is being extracted from bauxite mines, which have huge impacts on communities and the environment from habitat destruction, contamination of soil and harm to human health.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The drop was driven by seismic events around Newont’s Cadia mine, as well as lower production at the Ahafo South, Peñasquito, and Yanacocha mines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

For 29-year-old Patryk Paja, who spent three years in the mines, wind is the future.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

In church, the library, the mines, a few coughs that turned into a wheeze.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

Despite the elevated values, the rocks do not contain enough gold to be commercially mined.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

But, along with graphic descriptions of Fremlin’s predatory behavior, she explores how Munro, a frequent New Yorker contributor, mined both her own difficult childhood and her daughter’s ordeals in her fiction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Quartz sand mined at the site is used for making glass.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

While Myanmar has been massively impoverished by the civil war, it has also emerged as a major global supplier of mined rare earth minerals -- vital for China's production of renewable energy technology.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

For instance, he was working on a technology to burn coal more efficiently, so that even the lowest-grade coal could be mined and sold.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

“Rook I is a world class asset that would fit into any major mining company’s portfolio.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Environment Agency said this is because legacy substances, such as heavy metals from mining, take decades to break down, and some are building up.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Critics fear deep-sea mining will cause irreversible damage, smothering marine life in plumes of waste and disrupting oceanic migrations with the thrum of heavy machinery.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Plans for deep-sea mining exploration are most advanced for a vast sweep of ocean near American Samoa, a US territory nestled between New Zealand and Hawaii in the South Pacific.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

And as they sprouted and grew with note taking and the mining of my childhood memories came the belief, the solid belief, that it is true not just for me but for all of us.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• field
• pit
• quarry
• reserve
• store