minute

¹ American  

[min-it] / ˈmɪn ɪt /

noun

1. the sixtieth part (1/60) of an hour; sixty seconds.

2. an indefinitely short space of time.

   Wait a minute!

   Synonyms:

   second, jiffy

3. an exact point in time; instant; moment.

   Come here this minute!

4. minutes, the official record of the proceedings at a meeting of a society, committee, or other group.

5. Chiefly British. a written summary, note, or memorandum.

6. a rough draft, as of a document.

7. 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.

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verb (used with object)

minutes, present (3rd person singular) minuted, past participle, past minuting present participle

1. to time exactly, as movements or speed.

2. to make a draft of (a document or the like).

3. to record in a memorandum; note down.

4. to enter in the minutes of a meeting.

adjective

1. prepared in a very short time.

   minute pudding.

idioms

1. up to the minute, modern; up-to-date.

   The building design is up to the minute.

minute ² American  

[mahy-noot, -nyoot, mi-] / maɪˈnut, -ˈnyut, mɪ- /

adjective

minuter, minutest

1. extremely small, as in size, amount, extent, or degree.

   minute differences.

   Synonyms:

   minuscule, infinitesimal, tiny

   Antonyms:

   large

2. of minor importance; insignificant; trifling.

3. attentive to or concerned with even the smallest details.

   a minute examination.

   Synonyms:

   precise, exact, detailed

   Antonyms:

   general, rough

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minute ¹ British  

/ ˈmɪnɪt /

noun

1. a period of time equal to 60 seconds; one sixtieth of an hour

2. Also called: minute of arc.   ′.  a unit of angular measure equal to one sixtieth of a degree

3. any very short period of time; moment

4. a short note or memorandum

5. the distance that can be travelled in a minute

   it's only two minutes away

6. (up-to-the-minute when prenominal) very latest or newest

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verb

1. to record in minutes

   to minute a meeting

2. to time in terms of minutes

minute ² British  

/ maɪˈnjuːt /

adjective

1. very small; diminutive; tiny

2. unimportant; petty

3. precise or detailed

   a minute examination

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minute Scientific  

/ mĭn′ĭt /

1. A unit of time equal to 1/60 of an hour or 60 seconds.

2. ◆ A sidereal minute is 1/60 of a sidereal hour, and a mean solar minute is 1/60 of a mean solar hour.

3. See more at sidereal time solar time

4. A unit of angular measurement, such as longitude or right ascension, that is equal to 1/60 of a degree or 60 seconds.

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minute More Idioms  

1. see at the last minute; every minute counts; just a minute; mile a minute; wait a minute.

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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

• minuteness
  noun
• unminuted
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has minuted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have minuted
  perfect
• am minuting
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been minuting
  perfect progressive
• minuting
  participle
• minutes
  singular 3rd person
• has been minuting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are minuting
  progressive
• is minuting
  progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had minuted
  perfect
• minuted
  participle
• had been minuting
  perfect progressive
• minuted
  simple
• were minuting
  progressive plural
• was minuting
  progressive singular

Future

• will minute
  simple
• will have minuted
  perfect
• will have been minuting
  perfect progressive
• will be minuting
  progressive

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.

Example Sentences

Behind them came the corporate class: Tropicana, which ended up with PepsiCo, and Minute Maid, which went to Coca-Cola.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

While Minute Media did not reveal early viewership figures, the company said the audience for the channel has grown 60% since its launch.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

For 80 years, Minute Maid’s frozen canned juices have been a staple in America’s freezers.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026

But one has to admire, amid all the evident haste, how quickly “Louvre Heist: Minute by Minute” has been prepped and presented.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

He wasn’t as smooth as the Four Minute Man I’d heard back home at the Excelsior Theater, but his heart was sure in it.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• infinitesimal
• microscopic
• minimal
• minuscule
• tiny