mineshaft

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A deep vertical or steep passage dug down into the ground to reach a mine.

   Grammar: Often written as two words, mine shaft; both are acceptable.

   Patterns

   • down a mineshaft
   • a mineshaft into something

   Miners rode the lift down the mineshaft each morning.

   A rescue team lowered a camera into the mineshaft.

   The old mineshaft was sealed with concrete.

2. 2nouncountable

   An abandoned opening of a mine that is dangerous to anyone who might fall in.

   Grammar: Often appears in warnings and in stories about hikers.

   Patterns

   • fall into a mineshaft

   Signs warned hikers to stay away from the abandoned mineshaft.

   A dog fell into a mineshaft and was rescued by firefighters.

   The film begins with a boy peering into a dark mineshaft.

Word forms

Common combinations

abandoned mineshaft

The children were told never to enter the abandoned mineshaft.

deep mineshaft

The deep mineshaft reached the coal seam.

descend a mineshaft

The workers descend the mineshaft by cage.

flooded mineshaft

A flooded mineshaft was found beneath the field.

seal a mineshaft

The council sealed the mineshaft for safety.

Synonyms and how they differ

pit

Pit is a British word for a coal mine as a whole, not just the passage.

adit

An adit is a horizontal tunnel into a mine, while a mineshaft goes down or slopes steeply.

tunnel

A tunnel is a general passage, usually horizontal, whereas a mineshaft is vertical or steep.

borehole

A borehole is a narrow drilled hole, much smaller than a mineshaft that people can enter.

Word family

mine noun

an underground place where minerals are dug out

miner noun

a person who works in a mine

shaft noun

a long narrow passage or rod

mining noun

the work of digging out minerals

Commonly confused: mineshaft or minefield?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “mineshaft”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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