minute
1 Americannoun
-
the sixtieth part (1/60) of an hour; sixty seconds.
-
an indefinitely short space of time.
Wait a minute!
-
an exact point in time; instant; moment.
Come here this minute!
-
minutes, the official record of the proceedings at a meeting of a society, committee, or other group.
-
Chiefly British. a written summary, note, or memorandum.
-
a rough draft, as of a document.
-
Geometry. the sixtieth part of a degree of angular measure, often represented by the sign ′, as in 12° 10′, which is read as 12 degrees and 10 minutes.
verb (used with object)
-
to time exactly, as movements or speed.
-
to make a draft of (a document or the like).
-
to record in a memorandum; note down.
-
to enter in the minutes of a meeting.
adjective
idioms
adjective
-
extremely small, as in size, amount, extent, or degree.
minute differences.
- Synonyms:
- minuscule, infinitesimal, tiny
- Antonyms:
- large
-
of minor importance; insignificant; trifling.
-
attentive to or concerned with even the smallest details.
a minute examination.
noun
-
a period of time equal to 60 seconds; one sixtieth of an hour
-
Also called: minute of arc. ′. a unit of angular measure equal to one sixtieth of a degree
-
any very short period of time; moment
-
a short note or memorandum
-
the distance that can be travelled in a minute
it's only two minutes away
-
(up-to-the-minute when prenominal) very latest or newest
verb
-
to record in minutes
to minute a meeting
-
to time in terms of minutes
adjective
-
very small; diminutive; tiny
-
unimportant; petty
-
precise or detailed
a minute examination
-
A unit of time equal to 1/60 of an hour or 60 seconds.
-
◆ A sidereal minute is 1/60 of a sidereal hour, and a mean solar minute is 1/60 of a mean solar hour.
-
See more at sidereal time solar time
-
A unit of angular measurement, such as longitude or right ascension, that is equal to 1/60 of a degree or 60 seconds.
Synonym Usage
Minute, instant, moment refer to small amounts of time. A minute, properly denoting 60 seconds, is often used loosely for any very short space of time (and may be interchangeable with second ): I'll be there in just a minute. An instant is practically a point in time, with no duration, though it is also used to mean a perceptible amount of time: not an instant's delay. Moment denotes much the same as instant, though with a somewhat greater sense of duration (but somewhat less than minute ): It will only take a moment.
See little.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
minutesimple
-
minutessimple
-
have minutedperfect
-
has minutedperfect
-
am minutingprogressive
-
are minutingprogressive
-
is minutingprogressive
-
have been minutingperfect progressive
-
has been minutingperfect progressive
Past
-
minutedsimple
-
had minutedperfect
-
was minutingprogressive
-
were minutingprogressive
-
had been minutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of minute1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, Middle French, from Medieval Latin minūta, noun use of feminine of minūtus minute 2
Origin of minute2
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin minūtus (past participle of minuere “to make smaller or fewer”), equivalent to minū- verb stem + -tus past participle suffix; see minus, minor
Explanation
Craftsmen can paint whole villages or detailed portraits of people on a grain of rice using minute, or tiny, paintbrushes. Often the works of art are so minute that you can only see them with a magnifying glass. Minutus is the Latin word for "small," and it gave rise to both the adjective minute (my-NOOT), or incredibly small, and the noun minute (MIN-it), or 60 seconds of time. Though they are pronounced differently, both words refer to small measurements. An object can be minute, like a flea compared with its dog, and less concrete things can be minute, like your minute chance of winning the lottery. A minute freckle on the side of your nose is a minute detail of your whole face.
Vocabulary lists containing minute
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
ASVAB Word Knowledge
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
ACT Vocabulary List
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
He congratulated the team on their win, proclaimed that the people of Mayo had earned the victory and reminded them to "enjoy every minute".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Officials will not prevent players from visiting the touchline as an injury is treated but it is hoped the prospect of playing with 10 players for a minute will act as an adequate disincentive.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Between the early mornings, late nights and the change of climate from rainforest conditions one minute to a blizzard the next, Aitch says it was "just all a lot".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Miura signed for Yokohama in 2005 but has not played a minute for them since 2020.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Only after the longest minute, James flipped up his hands.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
The encounter was the two men's first since September last year and only lasted about 30 minutes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The 17-year-old scored the first goal of Alonso's reign - and in spectacular fashion - after just six minutes.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes, two important parts of the immune system, returned to their usual levels within about 30 minutes after the sauna ended.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
CIF rules that restrict tackling to two days per week and a maximum of 45 to 90 minutes a day were adopted in an effort to protect players from concussions and injuries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Where ten minutes earlier I’d been burning with fever, now I was shaking with cold.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Flyers in the race signed a last minute agreement to delay the start four days, to give opportunity for minuter mechanical overhauling, stricter sifting of entrants' abilities to fly.
From Time Magazine Archive
An apparently blended character or a prepotent character may on analysis turn out to be due to the inheritance of a certain proportion of minuter characters derived exclusively from either parent.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3 "Helmont, Jean" to "Hernosand" by Various
Their regular succession, and equality of force and volume, are generalised in this moulding, while the minuter varieties which distinguish one wave from another are merged in the general type.
From The Stones of Venice, Volume I (of 3) by Ruskin, John
We are prepared for even minuter detail; the paganism will be Nat-worship; the Indian creed Buddhism: the alphabet also, where the language is written, will be Indian also.
From The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)
Human beings are, however, not merely organisms: they are the home and the habitat of minuter organisms.
From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Park, Robert Ezra
On top of that, the game is continuously stopped while phases of play are checked by VAR for even the minutest of incidents.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025
It’s as if he had antennae that could feel the minutest vibrations across the political world.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
“It is, in fact, his power of observation, his eye for the minutest detail, that sets him apart not only from most baseball writers but also from most writers, period.”
From Washington Post ● May 20, 2022
Our changes of attitude aren’t because we are anthropomorphizing our own longing onto them; every creature, from the minutest to the massive, wants to escape from pain and death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2021
Such are the salt of the earth; let the minutest crystal of that salt be willingly by us held in solution.
From Life Without and Life Within or, Reviews, Narratives, Essays, and poems. by Fuller, Margaret
Changes have been made since Lord Mandelson's sacking, Sir Chris added, "so that we effectively replicate what would normally happen in a panel interview... where there is a minuted conversation with the candidate".
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
The Kraken seized advantage about six minuted later when Vince Dunn wound up at the left point and blistered a slap shot past Dan Vladar to tie things 1-1.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
Lentils might cook in about 30 minuted, but nothing else does.
From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2016
Later, I typed up our meetings, minuted them, just like the old days.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 1, 2015
With alacrity they minuted me on from one to another till I felt as if "passed to you, please" had been scrawled all over me.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, June 23, 1920 by Various
He writes by hand, minuting correspondence he has seen with a letter "B" followed by the Roman numeral "XVI".
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2012
Leaving to Anthony the irksome task of minuting down the roll of time for one unlucky month, turn we to another personage with whom it is high time the reader should be acquainted.
From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by Roby, John
However, he was resolved to stick to the Great Department; and so the work of form-filling, corresponding, minuting, memorandum-making, signing, counter-signing, counter-counter-signing, referring backwards and forwards, and referring sideways, crosswise, and zig-zag, recommenced.
From Little Dorrit by Dickens, Charles
Hushed with broad sunlight lies the hill, And, minuting the long day's loss, The cedar's shadow, slow and still, Creeps o'er its dial of gray moss.
From The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell by Lowell, James Russell
I dare say there was a vast amount of minuting, memoranduming, and despatch-boxing, on this mighty subject.
From Speeches: Literary and Social by Dickens, Charles
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.
