minutes of a meeting

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   The official written record of what was said and decided at a meeting.

   Grammar: Always plural in this sense; takes a plural verb: 'The minutes are on the table.'

   Patterns

   • take the minutes of a meeting
   • read the minutes of a meeting
   • approve the minutes of a meeting

   She was asked to take the minutes of the meeting because she types quickly.

   The minutes of the meeting show that the budget was approved unanimously.

   Please read the minutes of the meeting before our next session.

2. 2nounplural

   A summarized account of a meeting, often circulated to those who could not attend.

   Grammar: Still plural; can be used with 'a copy of' or 'the'.

   Patterns

   • circulate the minutes of a meeting
   • a copy of the minutes of a meeting

   He emailed the minutes of the meeting to all department heads.

   A copy of the minutes of the meeting is available on the shared drive.

Common combinations

take the minutes

Who will take the minutes at tomorrow's board meeting?

approve the minutes

The committee approved the minutes from the previous month.

the minutes of the meeting

The minutes of the meeting were distributed yesterday.

read the minutes

She always reads the minutes carefully to check for errors.

Synonyms and how they differ

record

A general word for any written account; 'minutes' is specifically for meetings and is always plural in this sense.

transcript

A word-for-word written version of spoken words; minutes are a summary, not a full transcript.

notes

Informal personal notes taken during a meeting; minutes are the official, formal record.

Word family

minute verb

To record the minutes of a meeting: 'She minuted the key decisions.'

minuting noun

The act of taking minutes: 'Minuting is a skilled task.'

Commonly confused: minutes of a meeting or minute?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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