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miner

American  
[mahy-ner] / ˈmaɪ nər /

noun

  1. Also called mineworker.  a person who works in a mine, especially a commercial mine producing coal or metallic ores.

    His ancestors were slate miners in Wales who emigrated to the United States.

  2. a mechanical device used in mining.

    She made her money by developing a miner for extracting ores from the ocean floor.

  3. any of several Australian birds of the genus Manorina, feeding on honey and typically having a loud call.

  4. Entomology. any of various insect larvae that create tunnels in the parenchyma of leaves.

  5. Digital Technology.

    1. a computer or network of computers engaged in solving sets of mathematical problems that are used to verify cryptocurrency transactions and that, when solved, yield a unit of the currency.

    2. a software application that is designed to run this process.

    3. a person or company that engages in this process.

  6. (formerly) a person who places or lays explosive mines.

miner British  
/ ˈmaɪnə /

noun

  1. a person who works in a mine

  2. Also called: continuous miner.  a large machine for the automatic extraction of minerals, esp coal, from a mine

  3. any of various insects or insect larvae that bore into and feed on plant tissues See also leaf miner

  4. any of several honey-eaters of the genus Manorina, esp M. melanocephala (noisy miner), of scrub regions See noisy miner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of miner

First recorded in 1225–75; mine 2 + -er 1; replacing Middle English minour, from Anglo-French ( -or 2 )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The recent sharp selloff in gold miner stocks has created opportunities for investors to buy at bargain prices if the appetite for gold flips back to bullish, as history suggests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Copper miner Antofagasta and diversified miner Anglo American are both down around 4.2%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

They expect the Chinese miner to post another quarter with record-high operating results on higher metal prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Shares of lithium miner Albemarle jumped 7% while aluminum producer Alcoa dipped 0.7%.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

“Hell,” another miner shouted out, “West Virginians could mine anything!”

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.