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Minuteman

[min-it-man] /ˈmɪn ɪtˌmæn/
noun, plural Minutemen.
1.
(sometimes lowercase) a member of a group of American militiamen just before and during the Revolutionary War who held themselves in readiness for instant military service.
2.
a U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile with three stages, powered by solid-propellant rocket engines.
3.
a member of a small, secret, ultraconservative organization formed into armed groups for the declared purpose of conducting guerrilla warfare against a communist invasion of the U.S.
Origin of Minuteman
1765-1775
An Americanism dating back to 1765-75; minute1 + man1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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Examples from the Web for Minuteman
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples

  • The Minuteman wanted to go back to ordinary life and his family.

    Average Americans Theodore Roosevelt
British Dictionary definitions for Minuteman

Minuteman

/ˈmɪnɪtˌmæn/
noun (pl) -men
1.
(sometimes not capital) (in the War of American Independence) a colonial militiaman who promised to be ready to fight at one minute's notice
2.
a US three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile
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
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Word Origin and History for Minuteman

minuteman

n.

U.S. history, one of a class of militia available for immediate service (i.e. "ready in a matter of minutes"), 1774. As the name of a type of ICBM, from 1961, so called because they could be launched with very little preparation.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang definitions & phrases for Minuteman

minuteman

noun

: Youth gangs use minors as gun runners, calling them ''minutemen'' because if they're caught they're out (of jail) in a minute (1990s+ Street gang)

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Difficulty index for Minuteman

Few English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for Minuteman

0
18
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Nearby words for minuteman

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