Minuteman

[ min-it-man ]

/ ˈmɪn ɪtˌmæn /

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noun, plural Min·ute·men.

(sometimes lowercase) a member of a group of American militiamen just before and during the Revolutionary War who held themselves in readiness for instant military service.

a U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile with three stages, powered by solid-propellant rocket engines.

a member of a small, secret, ultraconservative organization formed into armed groups for the declared purpose of conducting guerrilla warfare against a communist invasion of the U.S.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of Minuteman

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; minute¹ + man

Words nearby Minuteman

minus sign, minute, minute gun, minute hand, minutely, Minuteman, minute mark, Minutemen, minutes, minute steak, minutiae

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Minuteman in a sentence

That’s DeJon Jarreau, formerly a Massachusetts Minuteman, who also happens to be the team’s best defender.
The transfer portal has taken Houston, Baylor, Gonzaga and UCLA to the Final Four|Emily Giambalvo|April 2, 2021|Washington Post
At some point, Forde founded her own outfit, the Minuteman American Defense.
Arizona's Other Shooting Horror|Terry Greene Sterling|January 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
But I did find a photograph of my brother, dressed as a minuteman, and one of me in costume, too.
My Tea Party History|Jill Lepore|October 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The minuteman wanted to go back to ordinary life and his family.
Average Americans|Theodore Roosevelt

It is in its community a sort of intellectual minuteman, always ready to supply to every comer something of interest and pleasure.
Why do we need a public library?|Various
Beyond is Concord, with its bridge, well-site, and bronze minuteman.
Charles Carleton Coffin|William Elliot Griffis, D. D.

British Dictionary definitions for Minuteman

Minuteman

/ (ˈmɪnɪtˌmæn) /

noun plural -men

(sometimes not capital) (in the War of American Independence) a colonial militiaman who promised to be ready to fight at one minute's notice

a US three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile

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