mincemeat

American  

[mins-meet] / ˈmɪnsˌmit /

noun

1. a mixture composed of minced apples, raisins, currants, candied citron, suet, etc., originally and traditionally also containing meat, for filling a pie.

2. meat that is ground up or cut in very small pieces.

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idioms

1. make mincemeat of, to destroy utterly.

   He made mincemeat of his opponent's charges.

mincemeat British  

/ ˈmɪnsˌmiːt /

noun

1. a mixture of dried fruit, spices, etc, used esp for filling pies

2. minced meat

3. informal to defeat completely

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mincemeat More Idioms  

1. see make mincemeat of.

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Etymology

Origin of mincemeat

First recorded in 1655–65; mince + meat

Example Sentences

“But then I thought there’s mincemeat pie — I mean, that’s an English dessert. These people just put very strange things in their food.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

A franchise once known for its inevitable victories — 24 straight to open its 73-win campaign in 2015-16 and a 16-1 jaunt through the 2017 postseason — now regularly looked like mincemeat.

From Washington Post • Apr. 15, 2023

Close all the way except in one respect: The final score will make mincemeat of the total.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2022

"Five pounds for mincemeat? That's ridiculous. No, I'll have to find somewhere else. This mozzarella is £2. In Home Bargains, it's £1. That's a huge, huge difference."

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2022

Alice had been beloved of Randall, and now James Randall, who had grown tall on her mincemeat pies.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead