Minutemen

Cultural  

1. Armed American civilians who were active in the Revolutionary War and in the period just preceding the war. They were named Minutemen because they were ready to fight alongside regular soldiers at a moment's notice. The Minutemen of Massachusetts were especially well known. (See Battle of Lexington and Concord.)

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During the cold war, the name “Minuteman” was given to a United States missile held ready for launching in the event of a nuclear attack.

Example Sentences

The punk band Minutemen titled 1984’s “Double Nickels on the Dime” in response to “I Can’t Drive 55.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

Next, Mike Watt, best known as the bassist for Southern California punk band the Minutemen in the early 1980s, plays with his new band, the Mike Watt Quartet ft.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2024

The Minutemen are 50 years old, and while they’ve been modified many times, they will probably need to be mothballed someday.

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2024

The Minutemen were expanding their vision to include longer songs and heavier grooves, soon to reach apotheosis on the 1984 college radio juggernaut “Double Nickels on the Dime.”

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2023

Around fifty of the Minutemen and lots of British troops had been killed on Friday at Lexington or Concord, or wherever it was, although nobody seemed to know how many for sure.

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier