mince

[ mins ]
See synonyms for mince on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),minced, minc·ing.
  1. to cut or chop into very small pieces.

  2. to soften, moderate, or weaken (one's words), especially for the sake of decorum or courtesy.

  1. to perform or utter with affected elegance.

  2. to subdivide minutely, as land or a topic for study.

verb (used without object),minced, minc·ing.
  1. to walk or move with short, affectedly dainty steps.

  2. Archaic. to act or speak with affected elegance.

noun
  1. something cut up very small; mincemeat.

Idioms about mince

  1. not mince words / matters, to speak directly and frankly; be blunt or outspoken: He was angry and didn't mince words.

Origin of mince

1
1350–1400; Middle English mincen<Middle French minc(i)er<Vulgar Latin *minūtiāre to mince; see minute2

Other words from mince

  • mincer, noun
  • un·minced, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mince in a sentence

  • Williams and I minced our meat in one of the battery mincing machines, and made a grand dish of it over the cook's fire.

    In the Ranks of the C.I.V. | Erskine Childers
  • Baked hash is just minced meat mixed with gravy, pressed into a mould and baked in the oven till it will turn out.

    Living on a Little | Caroline French Benton

British Dictionary definitions for mince

mince

/ (mɪns) /


verb
  1. (tr) to chop, grind, or cut into very small pieces

  2. (tr) to soften or moderate, esp for the sake of convention or politeness: I didn't mince my words

  1. (intr) to walk or speak in an affected dainty manner

noun
  1. mainly British minced meat

  2. informal nonsensical rubbish

Origin of mince

1
C14: from Old French mincier, from Vulgar Latin minūtiāre (unattested), from Late Latin minūtia smallness; see minutiae

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