mink

American  

[mingk] / mɪŋk /

noun

• minks,
  plural
• mink
  plural

1. a semiaquatic weasellike animal of the genus Mustela, especially the North American M. vison.

2. the fur of this animal, brownish in the natural state and having lustrous outside hairs and a thick, soft undercoat.

3. a coat, stole, etc., made of this fur.

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mink British  

/ mɪŋk /

noun

1. any of several semiaquatic musteline mammals of the genus Mustela, of Europe, Asia, and North America, having slightly webbed feet

2. the highly valued fur of these animals, esp that of the American mink ( M. vison )

3. a garment made of this, esp a woman's coat or stole

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mink
  plural
• minks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mink

1425–75; late Middle English, of uncertain origin

Compare meaning

How does mink compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mink vs. muskrat
• stoat vs. mink

Explanation

A mink is a small, furry animal that's similar to a stoat or a weasel. Minks are prized for their soft pelts, which are often made into fur coats. If you are on your way to an animal rights event, leave your mink coat in the closet. You can use the noun mink to talk about the wild animal itself, which is not only hunted for its fur but also raised on farms, or to describe the wildly expensive coat made from the skin of many minks. A mink is the sort of warm fur coat you'd most likely see on a wealthy city dweller. The origin of mink is Scandinavian, related to the Swedish word menk, literally "a stinking animal in Finland."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mink minks

During breeding season—roughly late April through most of August—they nest in underground burrows on offshore islands where mammalian predators such as mink, rats and foxes can’t get at them or their young.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

I have a photo of my mother at the Bowl on a chilly 1940s evening sporting, like other ladies around her in the inexpensive bleachers, her mink stole.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

It is estimated the spread of non native American mink saw 90% of water voles wiped out since the 1970s.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Jacobs fished out the long mink her grandmother left her years ago and took it to a Manhattan furrier to give it a second act.

From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026

Inside were furs: a fox jacket, a mink stole, a floor-length ermine coat.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Amid a worrying Covid variant outbreak among minks -- when Denmark was the largest exporter of their furs -- she ordered the culling of some 17 million minks, an order which was later ruled illegal.

From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026

It’s also been extremely deadly in seals, sea lions and minks.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2024

Domestic rats, color-pointed gerbils, and American minks can also carry the mutation.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 27, 2023

However, there are documented cases of H5N1 spreading in mammalian populations, ranging from minks to sea lions and dolphins, raising concern about human-to-human spread.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2023

Women were wearing minks despite the July heat.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• cloak
• frock
• jacket
• overcoat
• raincoat
• suit
• tuxedo
• windbreaker
• wrap