miner

American  

[mahy-ner] / ˈmaɪ nər /

noun

1. Also called mineworker.  a person who works in a mine, especially a commercial mine producing coal or metallic ores.

   His ancestors were slate miners in Wales who emigrated to the United States.

2. a mechanical device used in mining.

   She made her money by developing a miner for extracting ores from the ocean floor.

3. any of several Australian birds of the genus Manorina, feeding on honey and typically having a loud call.

4. Entomology. any of various insect larvae that create tunnels in the parenchyma of leaves.

5. Digital Technology.

   1. a computer or network of computers engaged in solving sets of mathematical problems that are used to verify cryptocurrency transactions and that, when solved, yield a unit of the currency.

   2. a software application that is designed to run this process.

   3. a person or company that engages in this process.

6. (formerly) a person who places or lays explosive mines.

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miner British  

/ ˈmaɪnə /

noun

1. a person who works in a mine

2. Also called: continuous miner.  a large machine for the automatic extraction of minerals, esp coal, from a mine

3. any of various insects or insect larvae that bore into and feed on plant tissues See also leaf miner

4. any of several honey-eaters of the genus Manorina, esp M. melanocephala (noisy miner), of scrub regions See noisy miner

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Etymology

Origin of miner

First recorded in 1225–75; mine ² + -er ¹; replacing Middle English minour, from Anglo-French ( see -or ²)

Explanation

Picture a hardhat, a headlamp and a pick, and you are on the right track. A miner is a person who makes a living digging coal, salt, gold, minerals, or other natural resources out of the earth. The root here is the noun mine—not the word that possessive toddlers like to shout, but the one that describes a man-made underground network of tunnels and quarries. Don’t confuse miner with minor (note the “o”). Minor refers to musical intervals, small or trivial things, and people under age 18.

Example Sentences

Cameco, the Canadian uranium miner, is one of the world’s largest producers of raw uranium and benefits directly as Western utilities scramble to replace Russian supply.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Andrew Duncan, a 28-year-old coal miner in Indiana, told AFP on Thursday that he had struggled in recent years as US policy had shifted away from the fuel.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Inside the 25,000-seater Estadio Hidalgo in east-central Mexico, fans unfurl a tifo featuring a miner.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

Australian miner Iluka Resources is also building a refinery in the country that will initially process stockpiled material from its mineral sands operations.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

“Surely was,” the old miner says in a leaden voice.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz

Related Words

• prospector