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

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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”)

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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

By day three, mine was overflowing with tchotchkes, candy, lip gloss, ornaments, green and red bracelets and even a Bible-verse bookmark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

"A friend of mine working in a hospital told me all the people in the hospital have been identified," she said.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

"This entire procedure is a form of pressure. You have recorded statements that are not mine," Lakhdar Sebouai, 34, said in court.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

At the Yimin open-pit mine in the Hulunbuir region, Inner Mongolia, a state-owned company called China Huaneng produces 35 million tons of coal annually.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

In the dark I felt Betsie’s hands clasp mine.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Big-money tycoons have leveraged their fortunes to shape the state with their railroads, mines, newspapers, oil businesses and ranching and agriculture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Turkey has agreed to lead the maritime mission, with the eventual goal to clear mines and allow the resumption of trade in the Black Sea.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

The oil market didn’t bat an eye after reports Thursday of tankers hit by mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Analyses showed this silver was acquired from the Lavrion mines east of modern Athens.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

Lately she slept until after I left for the mines, but I was so excited, I wanted to wake her and show her our fortune.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Google’s AI summaries at the top of its search-result pages are intercepting online traffic and keeping more people from clicking through to the sites being mined by the AI for information.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

Gold-rich areas such as those in River Nile state lie along porous borders in terrain historically associated with cross-border smuggling routes, with artisanally mined gold potentially feeding into those channels.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

The black market for irregularly mined gold represents millions of dollars that would have otherwise ended up in the Ivorian state's coffers.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Before the Rand Refinery can handle the metal, it needs to ensure it is mined in a responsible manner, including without damaging the environment, mistreating workers or funding corrupt officials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

It was many evenings and weekends before Shirley realized the treasure her father had mined from the basement.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord

Bitcoin miners started turning to AI as mining, the practice of using vast computer power to solve equations to unlock the digital currency, became increasingly costly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

Companies that abandoned bitcoin mining in favor of data centers gain a clear advantage: a single-focus business model that is easier for Wall Street to value.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

The Trumps are passive investors and their role in the company is nonexistent, said Pini Althaus, the longtime mining executive behind the venture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

CoreWeave was founded in 2017 with a focus on mining Ethereum.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Laborers in the Cripple Creek mining district would not organize and win their rights for another generation.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

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Related Words

• field
• pit
• quarry
• reserve
• store

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