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mine

mine

322 5.7
A hole in the ground where people dig for minerals like coal or gold
  • noun
  • /maɪn/
: mina
  • Giuseppe Caruso, for example, worked in Noranda mines for six years before settling in Toronto.
  • coal mine
  • gold mine
  • copper mine

And if working hard were enough, then the coal miners and the gravediggers and the gold miners, not the mine owners.

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Examples

  • By that time, the nearby mine of Cotia had attracted thousands of miners.

    Academic text (1990)
  • So we all end up working in the mines.

  • A quick survey would have to be made of the available mine sites in the country.

  • I think he had a copper mine north of Vancouver.

  • Plus, the mines can be perilous.

  • In some periods, these mines were among the world's largest producers of lead and silver.

    Academic text (2012)
  • No longer isolated at urban fringes, mines are increasingly located in rural areas.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The global distribution of mineral P reserves and mines is extremely uneven.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The company operates several gold mines in South America.

  • The old silver mine has been closed for decades, but many still visit to explore its tunnels.

Synonyms

pit
vsmine
183 3.6

A large hole in the ground used for mining

is the dug extraction made specifically to remove ores and minerals
quarry
vsmine
54 4.9

An open place in the ground where people remove stone

is a dug place for producing ores and minerals, not limited to stone
digs
vsmine
  • Specialized
3 8.1

A place where people dig to find old objects or valuable stones

is the deliberate extraction site focusing on removing ores and minerals for use
diggings
vsmine
  • Archaic
1 8.4

An area where people dig for minerals or ancient objects

is a specific excavated hole made to extract ores or minerals
working
vsmine
1 6.4

A part of a mine or quarry where people dig for minerals

is the general dug place for extracting ores regardless of operation status
workings
vsmine
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A place where people remove minerals from the ground now or in the past

is the specific dug excavation made solely to extract ores and minerals

Idioms

words, not mine
  • Informal
10 8.6

Something someone else says that you do not agree with

Something you say when you do not know the answer any more than the other person does

Saying you repeat someone else's words to show you do not agree

Compounds

gold mine
  • Informal
36 3.2

A source of many useful things like information or money

22 2.8

A place underground where people dig coal

16 4.1

A bomb buried in the ground that explodes when someone steps on or moves it

mine host
  • Archaic
15 9.9

A man who welcomes and looks after guests at an inn

12 3.3

A place where people dig to find gold

5 3.7

A place where people dig copper from the ground

A North American union for people who work in mines

2 3.4

A place where people dig to take silver from the ground

mine detector
  • Specialized
2 4.9

A device that finds explosive mines buried on land or underwater

strip mine
  • Specialized
2 6.0

An open area where workers remove earth and rock to get minerals near the surface

1 4.0

A place underground where people dig out salt for use

A union that represents miners in the United States

claymore mine
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small bomb that explodes in one direction to hit people nearby

run-of-the-mine
  • Informal
1 7.2

Common and not special

1 5.3

A mine where workers dig sulfur from the ground

magnetic mine
  • Specialized
1 8.1

Underwater bomb that explodes when it senses a ship's metal hull

mine disposal
  • Specialized
1 6.1

Making landmines safe or removing them

mine run
  • Archaic
1 8.4

Not special or interesting

salt mine
  • Informal
1 7.1

A joking name for a job or workplace where people do hard, boring work

marine mine
  • Specialized
1 7.7

An underwater bomb placed to damage or sink ships

floating mine
  • Specialized
8.2

A bomb that floats on water and explodes when a ship hits it

A topic that causes strong arguments and trouble

mine cage
  • Specialized
8.0

An enclosed platform that moves people and supplies up and down a mine shaft

mine pig
  • Archaic
9.7

Pure iron made directly from iron ore without recycled metal

A bomb hidden in the ground that explodes when stepped on or driven over

hidden gold mine
  • Informal
6.0

A place or thing that has valuable information not easy to find

How Big

mine
322 5.7
pit
183 3.6

Surface Forms

mine singular
mines plural

Etymology

Mine for a place dug to get metals comes from old words for where people took ore and is the same idea behind mineral and miner, so a mine is simply where people dig out valuable materials from the earth.