What does "mine" mean?
An excavation from which ore or solid minerals are taken, especially one consisting of underground tunnels.
Mine
/maɪ̯n/ det, noun, pron, verb, slang
det, noun, pron, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An excavation from which ore or solid minerals are taken, especially one consisting of underground tunnels.
- Grammar: mine is listed as det, noun, pron, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abri, abridge, abundance, abysm.
- Useful contrasts: their, bury, conceal.
- Usage evidence: Your situation is analogous to mine.
How to use "mine"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mine" 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 "mine" 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 "mine" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mine" 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 "mine" is acting as det, noun, pron, 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 "abri" 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 "mine", 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 An excavation from which ore or solid minerals are taken, especially one consisting of underground tunnels. Australia
"Meronyms: mine shaft, mineshaft; mine car"
- 2 Alternative form of mien. alt-of, alternative
- 3 explosive device that explodes on contact; designed to destroy vehicles or ships or to kill or maim personnel wordnet
- 4 Any source of wealth or resources. Australia, figuratively
"She's a mine of information about the history of mathematics."
- 5 excavation in the earth from which ores and minerals are extracted wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A passage dug toward or underneath enemy lines, which is then packed with explosives. Australia
"The most famous mine of the American Civil War led to the Battle of the Crater."
- 7 A device intended to explode when stepped upon or touched, or when approached by a ship, vehicle, or person. Australia
"Holonym: minefield"
- 8 A type of firework that explodes on the ground, shooting sparks upward. Australia
- 9 The cavity made by a caterpillar while feeding inside a leaf. Australia
- 10 A machine or network of machines used to extract units of a cryptocurrency. Australia
"A change to the blockchain method was contemplated to allow mines to hog less electric power."
Verb
- 1 To remove (rock or ore) from the ground. ambitransitive
"Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only place in the world where visitors can mine their own diamonds."
- 2 lay mines wordnet
- 3 To dig into, for ore or metal.
"Lead veins have been traced […] but they have not been mined."
- 4 get from the earth by excavation wordnet
- 5 To sow mines (the explosive devices) in (an area). transitive
"We had to slow our advance after the enemy mined the road ahead of us."
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- 6 To damage (a vehicle or ship) with a mine (an explosive device). transitive
- 7 To dig a tunnel or hole; to burrow in the earth. intransitive
"the mining cony"
- 8 To dig away, or otherwise remove, the substratum or foundation of; to lay a mine under; to sap; to undermine.
"They mined the walls."
- 9 To ruin or destroy by slow degrees or secret means. broadly, figuratively
- 10 To tap into. broadly, figuratively
- 11 To pick one's nose. slang
- 12 To earn new units of cryptocurrency by doing certain calculations.
"Bitcoin supporters say that estimates of its carbon footprint are overstated. And if the computers that mine and help transact bitcoins are attached to an electric grid that uses wind and solar power, they add, mining and using it will become cleaner over time."
Pronoun
- 1 That or those belonging to me.; Used predicatively.
"The house itself is mine, but the land is not."
- 2 Honorific alternative letter-case form of mine, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context. alt-of, honorific
- 3 That or those belonging to me.; Used substantively, with an implied noun.
"Mine has been a long journey."
- 4 That or those belonging to me.; Used absolutely, set off from the sentence.
"Mine for only a week so far, it already feels like an old friend."
- 5 That or those belonging to me.; My house or home. informal
"We had the party at mine."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 That or those belonging to me.; As double possessive.
"This house of mine is over 100 years old."
Determiner
- 1 My; belonging to me.; Used attributively after the noun it modifies. archaic
"[…] Flesh and blood, / You, brother mine, that entertain'd ambition, / […]"
- 2 My; belonging to me.; Used attributively before a vowel. archaic
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: / […]"
Example
"Your situation is analogous to mine."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mine"?
Common synonyms include: abri, abridge, abundance, abysm, abyss, analyze.
How do you use "mine" in a sentence?
Your situation is analogous to mine.
How do you pronounce "mine"?
Pronounced /maɪ̯n/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English min, myn, from Old English mīn, from Proto-West Germanic *mīn, from Proto-Germanic *mīnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *méynos. Cognate with Saterland Frisian mien, West Frisian myn, Dutch mijn, Low German mien, German mein, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian min, Icelandic mín.
Etymology 2
From Middle English, from Old French mine, from Late Latin mina, from Gaulish (compare to Welsh mwyn, Irish mianach (“ore”)), from Proto-Celtic *meinis (“ore, metal”).
Etymology 3
Borrowed from French mine.