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

Mr. Christie first ran for president in 2016, a year that made mincemeat of quite a few Republicans seen as rising stars in the party, and he was no exception.

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2023

The EU's chief negotiator Maros Šefčovic said that lorries entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain would only require a three-page certificate, though separate certification would still be needed for higher-risk goods such as chilled mincemeat.

From BBC • Jan. 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

I take a small bite, and the ground mincemeat patty is exactly the way I like it, not too spicy, and no big pieces of onion or coriander.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan