mince
Americanverb (used with object)
-
minces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
minced,
past participle, past
-
mincing
present participle
-
to cut or chop into very small pieces.
-
to soften, moderate, or weaken (one's words), especially for the sake of decorum or courtesy.
-
to perform or utter with affected elegance.
-
to subdivide minutely, as land or a topic for study.
verb (used without object)
-
minces,
present (3rd person singular)
-
minced,
past participle, past
-
mincing
present participle
-
to walk or move with short, affectedly dainty steps.
-
Archaic. to act or speak with affected elegance.
noun
idioms
verb
-
(tr) to chop, grind, or cut into very small pieces
-
(tr) to soften or moderate, esp for the sake of convention or politeness
I didn't mince my words
-
(intr) to walk or speak in an affected dainty manner
noun
-
minced meat
-
informal nonsensical rubbish
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mincesimple
-
mincessimple
-
have mincedperfect
-
has mincedperfect
-
am mincingprogressive
-
are mincingprogressive
-
is mincingprogressive
-
have been mincingperfect progressive
-
has been mincingperfect progressive
Past
-
mincedsimple
-
had mincedperfect
-
was mincingprogressive
-
were mincingprogressive
-
had been mincingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mince
1350–1400; Middle English mincen < Middle French minc ( i ) er < Vulgar Latin *minūtiāre to mince; see minute 2
Explanation
To mince is to chop into tiny bits. Your favorite soup recipe might include directions to mince four cloves of garlic. When you dice an onion into very small pieces, you mince it, and when you grind meat very fine to make sausage or mincemeat, you also mince. Another meaning of the verb is to soften, or to express something in a gentle way: "She doesn't mince her words." This word can also mean to walk in a dainty manner, like the way your 7-year-old niece might mince across the floor while pretending to be a fancy princess. The Old French root, mincier, means "make into small pieces," and it comes from the Latin word for "small," minutus.
Vocabulary lists containing mince
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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The Grapes of Wrath
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"Winter Dreams," Vocabulary from the short story
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When host Kristen Welker pressed him on whether he would act independently, Blanche did not mince words.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Today it's $11.95, but profits are limited due to the much higher price of mince.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Wall Street pro, who knows a thing or two about leverage, didn’t mince words in a warning for rookie stock and options traders, and the prospect that they’ll make it big.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Jefferies analyst Roger Song didn’t mince words in his own note over the weekend, writing that the company faces “a tough road ahead.”
From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026
He chopped the onions every which way and didn’t mince the ginger anywhere near as fine as Kazi would have.
From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani
A shrewd operator who rarely minces his words, an increasingly wealthy Thaksin entered politics in the mid-1990s, initially serving as foreign minister and then deputy prime minister.
From Reuters ● Aug. 22, 2023
The disciplinary committee minces no words in its judgment: "These claims were simply not true."
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2023
Brian Cox minces no words in his new book when it comes to some of Hollywood’s revered actors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2021
Browne, who also narrates the video, minces no words in telling viewers what was concluded.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2021
Mama is a blur of activity as she minces a huge pile of onions and garlic in a mini chopper and puts a jumbo pot on the stove.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
Apart from poppy seeds, the product also contains sesame seeds, sea salt, minced garlic and minced onion.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The cooked lettuce is then topped with fragrant crushed peppercorns and minced garlic, both cooked together in ghee over medium-high heat.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Quick pickled cucumbers, dressed with rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil, bring texture and acidity while a classic Mexican mix of minced onion and cilantro finishes things off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
His cooks minced the meat with papaya, saffron and spices and made it so fine and silky that it needed no chewing.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025
I see flaky crust with minced meat, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce.
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
"Over to you Keir," says a senior minister, not mincing his words.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
Both faculty and students are mincing their words in class and approaching their discussions with caution for fear of being reported, said Wright State University junior Rochelle Woodson.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2025
Good on the Getty for not mincing visual words.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025
His soft, thoughtful delivery forces the listener to take note and when he speaks he is usually very direct, rarely mincing his words.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2024
Little Jehu came mincing in, a glitter of bright colors.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
