Meaning & use

mince

verb·Everyday

To cut food, especially meat, into very small pieces, typically using a blade or grinder.

See it in a sentence

She minced the garlic finely before adding it to the sauce.

The recipe calls for a pound of minced beef and diced onions.

A note on using this word

The idiom 'not mince words' means to speak bluntly rather than softening a message, unrelated to the cooking sense.

Words with a similar meaning

chopgrind

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. verb

To walk with short, delicate, affected steps.

He minced across the icy pavement, trying not to slip.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “mince”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.