mine

MYN/maɪ̯n/

Verbmines, mining, mined

Noun pluralmines

18 meanings of mine

Practice

1
belonging to mepronoun
Something that belongs to me.
That red bike by the door is mine.
Your phone is newer, but mine has a bigger screen.
UsageSay it's mine, with no noun after it.
2
verbtransitive or intransitive
To dig in the ground to get coal, metal, or stones.
Like digging up potatoes from the soil, but pulling out rock and metal instead.
They mine copper in this part of the country.
The company mines gold from deep underground.
UsageSay they mine coal or mine for gold.
Similarextract, dig, excavate
3
pitnouncountable
A hole or set of tunnels dug in the ground to take out coal, metal, or other minerals.
Like digging deep tunnels underground to reach buried metal and rock.
The old coal mine closed down many years ago.
Hundreds of workers dug for gold in the mines across the hills.
UsageSay a coal mine or a gold mine.
Similarpit
Note
4
hidden bombnouncountable
A hidden bomb that blows up when someone steps on it or comes too close.
Like a hidden trap that goes off the moment something touches it.
The soldiers had to cross a field full of mines.
One mine was enough to destroy the truck.
UsagePeople step on a mine or clear mines.
Note
5
tap intoverbfigurativelytransitive
To dig useful things out of a large source, such as data or ideas.
Like digging through a big pile to pull out the useful bits.
Researchers mine the survey for useful patterns.
Companies mine social media to learn what people want.
UsageSay mine something for facts.
Similartap, exploit, comb, scour, trawl
6
earn cryptoverbtransitive or intransitive
To get new digital coins by using computers to solve hard math problems.
Like earning coins for letting your computer solve very hard puzzles.
Some people use powerful computers to mine Bitcoin.
He set up old hardware to mine coins in his spare room.
Note

Less common meanings

7
rich sourcenounfigurativelycountable
A rich supply of something valuable, such as knowledge or money.
Like a treasure chest that keeps giving you useful things.
Her grandmother is a mine of old family stories.
That little library is a mine of useful facts.
UsageSay a book is a mine of information.
Similarwealth, storehouse, fund, fount
Note
8
homepronouncolloquialUK
My own house or the place where I live.
Come over to mine after school.
We watched the game at mine last night.
UsageUsed after at, to, or back to: at mine, come back to mine.
9
lay explosivesverbtransitive
To put hidden bombs in the ground or water, or to hit something with one.
Like hiding traps all over a yard so no one can cross it safely.
The army decided to mine the border region.
Engineers mined the harbor to keep enemy ships away.
Note
10
crypto rignouncountable
A computer, or group of computers, built to earn new digital coins.
Like a factory full of computers whose job is to make digital money.
His bitcoin mine in the garage makes the whole house hot.
Their mine runs day and night earning coins.
Similarfarm
Note
11
burrowverbintransitive
To dig a tunnel or hole down into the ground.
Similarburrow, dig, tunnel, bore
12
nouncountable
A tunnel dug under or toward an enemy's position and filled with explosives.
Like a secret tunnel under the enemy with a big bomb at the end.
The soldiers dug a mine beneath the fort's wall.
Several mines were dug along the front line.
Note
13
determinerarchaic
An old word for 'my'.
Mine eyes have seen the morning light.
I gave him mine own coat to wear.
Note
14
sap wallsverbtransitive
To dig under something to weaken its base so it falls.
Like digging out the sand under a sandcastle until it falls.
The army began to mine the wall, digging out the earth under it.
Soldiers mined the castle wall for weeks, and at last it fell.
Similarundermine, sap
Note
15
weaken slowlyverbfigurativelytransitive
To slowly damage or destroy something in a quiet, hidden way.
Similarundermine, erode, sap, weaken, subvert
Oppositestrengthen, bolster, reinforce
16
pick noseverbslangintransitive
To pick your nose with a finger.
Note
17
noun
A hollow space that a caterpillar eats out as it feeds inside a leaf.
18
noun
A firework that sits on the ground and shoots sparks up into the air when it blasts.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of mine apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 8, 13

From Old English mīn, meaning "my" or "belonging to me."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Mine derives from Old English mīn. en.wiktionary.org
Old English mīn meant my or belonging to me. glossary.oldenglishaerobics.net

Meanings 2–7, 9–12, 14–16

From Old French mine, from a word meaning "ore" that came from Gaulish and Celtic roots.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English mine derives from Old French mine. en.wiktionary.org
Its earlier source meant ore and derived from Gaulish and ultimately Proto-Celtic. en.wiktionary.org