What does "mince" mean?
Finely chopped meat; minced meat.
Mince
/mɪns/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Finely chopped meat; minced meat.
- Grammar: mince is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: allow for, amble, aspic, atomize.
- Useful contrasts: be blunt, chunky meat, cut coarsely.
- Usage evidence: Not to mince matters, I don't want you to come to our party.
How to use "mince"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mince" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mince" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mince" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mince" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mince" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allow for" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mince", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Finely chopped meat; minced meat. uncountable
"Mince tastes really good fried in a pan with some chopped onion and tomato."
- 2 food chopped into small bits wordnet
- 3 Finely chopped mixed fruit used in Christmas pies; mincemeat. uncountable
"During Christmas time my dad loves to eat mince pies."
- 4 An affected (often dainty or short and precise) gait. countable
"A wiry little girl in a starched, lemon-colored party dress, she sassed along with a grownup mince, one hand on her hip, the other supporting a spinsterish umbrella."
- 5 An affected manner, especially of speaking; an affectation. countable
"A very moderate degree of accomplishment in this direction would make an end of stage smart speech, which, like the got-up Oxford mince and drawl of a foolish curate, is the mark of a snob."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 An eye (from mince pie). Cockney, countable, in-plural, slang
"Lancashire is a bit nazi about speed and the M6 in that area can be either clear or infested with vans and their helicopter. On the good side the vans tend to be on well sighted bridges so just keep the old minces peeled."
- 7 Something worthless; rubbish. UK, slang, uncountable
"That band's new album is total mince."
Verb
- 1 To make less; to make small. transitive
- 2 make less severe or harsh wordnet
- 3 To lessen; to diminish; to diminish in speaking; to speak of lightly or slightingly; to minimise. transitive
- 4 cut into small pieces wordnet
- 5 To effect mincingly. rare, transitive
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 walk daintily wordnet
- 7 To cut into very small pieces; to chop finely. transitive
"Butchers often use machines to mince meat."
- 8 To suppress or weaken the force of. archaic, figuratively, transitive
"Siren, now mince the sin, / And mollify damnation with a phrase."
- 9 To say or utter vaguely (not directly or frankly).
"to mince one's words"
- 10 To affect; to pronounce affectedly or with an accent. transitive
"In some districts of England ll is sounded like w, thus bowd (booud) for BOLD, bw (buu) for BULL, caw (kau) for CALL. But this pronunciation is merely a provincialism, and not to be imitated unless you wish to mince like these blunderers."
- 11 To walk with short steps; to walk in a prim, affected manner. intransitive
"At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jones's trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar."
- 12 To act or talk with affected nicety; to affect delicacy in manner. intransitive
"I love going to gay bars and seeing drag queens mince around on stage."
Antonyms
be bluntchunky meatcut coarselyleave whole
Example
"Not to mince matters, I don't want you to come to our party."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mince"?
Common synonyms include: allow for, amble, aspic, atomize, barbecue, barge.
How do you use "mince" in a sentence?
Not to mince matters, I don't want you to come to our party.
How do you pronounce "mince"?
Pronounced /mɪns/.
Etymology
From Middle English mincen, minsen; partly from Old English minsian, ġeminsian (“to make less, make smaller, diminish”), from Proto-West Germanic *minnisōn, from Proto-Germanic *minnisōną (“to make less”); partly from Old French mincer, mincier (“to cut into small pieces”), from mince (“slender, slight, puny”), from Frankish *minsto, *minnisto, superlative of *min, *minn (“small, less”), from Proto-Germanic *minniz (“less”); both from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small, little”). Cognate with Old Saxon minsōn (“to make less, make smaller”), Old Dutch minson (“to make smaller”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌶𐌽𐌰𐌽 (minznan, “to become less, diminish”), Swedish minska (“to reduce, lessen”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌽𐍃 (mins, “slender, slight”). More at min.