mining Definition

mine²
noun

1. An opening or excavation in the ground, used to remove minerals, metal ores, coal, etc, from the Earth's crust.

Example: coalmine
Example: goldmine
Thesaurus: shaft, pit, well, excavation, quarry.
2. An explosive device that is placed just beneath the ground surface or in water, designed to destroy tanks, ships, etc, when detonated.

Example: land-mine
3. A rich source.

Example: He's a mine of information
4. An excavation dug underneath a military position, fortification, etc to enter or undermine it, blow it up, etc.

verb mined, mining

tr & intr
1. To dig for (minerals, etc).

Example: They mine gold in those hills
Thesaurus: excavate, dig for, dig up, quarry, drill, drill for, tunnel, unearth.
2. To dig (a particular area) in order to extract minerals, etc.

Example: started mining the western bay in the 50s for gold
Form: mine somewhere for something (also)
3. To lay exploding mines in (land or water).

Example: The beach has been mined
4. To destroy something with exploding mines.

Example: Our ship was mined

Derivative: miner
noun

Note: often in compounds
Someone who mines or works in a mine, especially a coal mine.
Example: coalminer
Example: goldminer
Thesaurus: excavator, digger, driller, dredger, prospector, forty-niner (US), sourdough slang).

Derivative: mining

The act or process of extracting minerals, etc from the ground.
Thesaurus: excavating, prospecting, delving, tunneling, boring, drilling.

The act or process of laying mines.

Etymology: 14c: French, from miner to mine.

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mining mine²