mince

American  

[mins] / mɪns /

verb (used with object)

minced, mincing

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.

3. to perform or utter with affected elegance.

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

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verb (used without object)

minced, mincing

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

1. not mince words / matters, to speak directly and frankly; be blunt or outspoken.

   He was angry and didn't mince words.

mince British  

/ 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

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

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noun

1. minced meat

2. informal nonsensical rubbish

Other Word Forms

• mincer
  noun
• unminced
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Yet Mr. Netanyahu didn’t mince words about what remains to be done.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 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

A Jeremiah figure among millennial and Gen X parents for his warnings of impending social media doom and ruin, Haidt didn’t mince words when forecasting the impact of the recent court cases.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

Harriet didn't mince her words when she won the opportunity to speak directly to the traitors, who were hidden away in the church confessional.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

How beautifully she did mince now, as though her toes had been bound with fire-strips.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

• crumble
• grind