Showing results for "mine"

• possessive of I.

mine

¹ American  

[mahyn] / maɪn /

pronoun

1. a form of the possessive case of I used as a predicate adjective.

   The yellow sweater is mine.

2. something that belongs to me.

   Mine is the red car.

3. Archaic. my (used before a word beginning with a vowel or a silent h, or following a noun).

   mine eyes; lady mine.

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mine ² American  

[mahyn] / maɪn /

noun

• mines
  plural

1. an excavation made in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores, coal, precious stones, etc.

2. a place where valuable minerals may be obtained, either by excavation or by washing the soil.

3. a natural deposit of valuable minerals.

4. an abundant source; store.

   The notes at the end of her book are a mine of information on the period she's writing about.

   Synonyms:

   hoard, fund, stock, supply

5. a device containing a charge of explosive in a watertight casing, floating on or moored beneath the surface of the water for the purpose of blowing up an enemy ship that strikes it or passes close by it.

6. a device containing a charge of explosive, typically buried under a shallow layer of dirt for the purpose of blowing up enemy personnel or vehicles that strike it or pass close by it; landmine.

7. a subterranean passage made to extend under an enemy's works or position, as for the purpose of securing access or of depositing explosives for blowing up a military position.

8. Entomology. a passageway in the parenchyma of a leaf, made by certain insects.

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verb (used without object)

• mines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mined,
  past participle,  past
• mining
  present participle

1. to dig in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores, coal, etc.; make a mine.

   Many people would mine for gold and silver in the area during the Gold Rush.

2. to extract coal, ore, or the like, from a mine.

   My grandfather mined to make his living, and it was hard on his body.

3. to make subterranean passages.

4. to place or lay mines, as in naval or other military operations.

verb (used with object)

• mines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mined,
  past participle,  past
• mining
  present participle

1. to dig in (earth, rock, etc.) in order to obtain ores, coal, etc..

   They mined the Blue Ridge Mountains for quartzite, copper, iron, and manganese.

2. to extract (ore, coal, etc.) from a mine.

   Workers mined this tin in Thailand, likely in the late 19th century.

3. to avail oneself of or draw useful or valuable material from.

   I'll have to mine every resource available to finish my term paper on time.

4. to use, especially a natural resource.

   The proposal to mine the nation's oldest forests was met with disapproval.

5. to make subterranean passages in or under; burrow.

6. to make (passages, tunnels, etc.) by digging or burrowing.

7. to dig away or remove the foundations of.

8. to place or lay explosive mines in or under.

   The squad was sent to mine an enemy supply road.

9. Digital Technology. (of a computer, computer network, software application, etc.) to solve sets of mathematical problems that are used to verify cryptocurrency transactions and that, when solved, yield a unit of that currency in exchange, especially bitcoin.

10. Agriculture. to grow crops in (soil) over an extended time without fertilizing.

11. to remove (a natural resource) from its source without attempting to replenish it.

mine ¹ British  

/ maɪn /

noun

1. a system of excavations made for the extraction of minerals, esp coal, ores, or precious stones

2. any deposit of ore or minerals

3. a lucrative source or abundant supply

   she was a mine of information

4. a device containing an explosive designed to destroy ships, vehicles, or personnel, usually laid beneath the ground or in water

5. a tunnel or sap dug to undermine a fortification

6. a groove or tunnel made by certain insects, esp in a leaf

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verb

1. to dig into (the earth) for (minerals)

2. to make (a hole, tunnel, etc) by digging or boring

3. to place explosive mines in position below the surface of (the sea or land)

4. to undermine (a fortification) by digging mines or saps

5. another word for undermine

mine ² British  

/ maɪn /

pronoun

1. something or someone belonging to or associated with me

   mine is best

2. belonging to or associated with me

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determiner

1. (preceding a vowel) an archaic word for my 1

   mine eyes

   mine host

mine Scientific  

/ mīn /

1. An underground excavation in the Earth from which ore, rock, or minerals can be extracted.

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mine Idioms  

1. see back to the salt mines; gold mine; your guess is as good as mine.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minable
  adjective
• unmined
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mines
  plural

Participles

• mining
  present
• mined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• mine
  simple
• mines
  simple
• have mined
  perfect
• has mined
  perfect
• am mining
  progressive
• are mining
  progressive
• is mining
  progressive
• have been mining
  perfect progressive
• has been mining
  perfect progressive

Past

• mined
  simple
• had mined
  perfect
• was mining
  progressive
• were mining
  progressive
• had been mining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will mine
  simple
• will have mined
  perfect
• will be mining
  progressive
• will have been mining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mine¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mīn; cognate with Old Norse mīn, German mein, Gothic meina; see origin at my, me

Origin of mine²

First recorded in 1275–1325; 1875–80 mine ² for def. 5; (for the verb) Middle English minen, from Old French miner (cognate with Provençal, Spanish minar, Italian minare ), from Vulgar Latin mīnāre (unrecorded), probably from a Celtic base akin to Middle Irish méin, Welsh mwyn “ore, mineral”; (for the noun) Middle English from Middle French, perhaps noun derivative of miner “to mine” (compare Medieval Latin mina “mine, mineral”)

Explanation

A mine is a hole in the earth from which workers take valuable things: coal, diamonds, copper. It is also a bomb that explodes when it's touched, often buried in the earth. When you think of mines, think of something beneath the surface or hidden. People mine for gold by sifting through water and rocks. West Virginia is famous for its coal mines. A mine field might describe a field laced with explosives — such as landmines. When people put these explosives in place, they're mining the land. Also, any dangerous situation can be called a mine field. Talking about sensitive subjects — like religion or race — is a verbal mine field for sure.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mine mines mined mining

"I want to use it as fuel to get back into England squads and then back in an England shirt. That's an aim of mine and I hope to achieve it," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

As the White House pushes to boost domestic production of raw materials, some are looking to the potential gold mine hauled in by garbage trucks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Sheinbaum is navigating a mine field with her mercurial US counterpart.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

I have four kids — two are mine and two are my wife’s — but they are all ours in every meaningful sense.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

On the floor of the locker the only mess is mine: a broken bootlace, a hatpin, and a scrap of paper with handwritten text, which I bend to pick up.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Defense officials watched as Iran took advantage of the fighting pause to drop dozens of mines in the Strait of Hormuz, though they were confined to a small area of the waterway.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

About 10 years ago, university researchers discovered that the wastewater from shuttered mines contained rare earths.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Deadly accidents are not uncommon in Colombia, especially at unlicensed mines where locals dig for precious metals without any official oversight.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Soon after landing in St. Petersburg he won a contract to supply mines to the Russian navy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Once opened, the combined mines caused so many ventilation problems, Dad had to take over both of them.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Despite the elevated values, the rocks do not contain enough gold to be commercially mined.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Nauru, which was a dependent territory of Australia until independence in 1968, was heavily mined in the late 20th Century.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

During a 2019-20 artist residency with New York City’s Department of Records and Information Services, Weist mined municipal archives for records revealing how city government had defined, supported and monitored past artists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Some reports say Iran mined the waterway to make sure no one tried to get through.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

That night they feasted, although Rowan could not dig up an appetite, no matter how deep he mined.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

While Namibia is not unique in having phosphate deposits, other nations have decided against ocean mining, she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

For Lomachar, the answer is not to stop the mining, but to make it more organised.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Until then, the size and commercial viability of any mining remain uncertain.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

But mining associations filed suit, claiming that the standards set by the government to measure compliance are too stringent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

He’s moved from the mining region of the Borinage back to Brussels.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• field
• pit
• quarry
• reserve
• store