de minimis

American

[duh min-uh-mis, dey] / də ˈmɪn ə mɪs, deɪ /

pertaining to minimal or trivial things; small, minor, or insignificant; negligible.

De minimis gifts to employees are not subject to taxation.

Usage

What does de minimis mean? De minimis means so small or inconsequential as to not be worthy of attention.De minimis is typically used in a legal context in regard to things that are not important or significant enough to be bound by rules or regulations. It is often used in phrases like de minimis rule or de minimis exemption. Like many other technical legal terms, de minimis comes from Latin.Example: Amounts that low are considered de minimis, so they don’t need to be reported as taxable income.

Etymology

Origin of de minimis

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Is the de minimis tariff exemption back in effect?

From The Wall Street Journal

The Supreme Court decision didn’t touch on the de minimis rule.

From The Wall Street Journal

Izzy Rosenzweig, chief executive of e-commerce logistics firm Portless, said importers who paid Ieepa tariffs on packages that would have been previously subject to de minimis might be eligible for refunds on those duties.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The ability to use de minimis is not part of the equation here. The only part of the equation is the Ieepa tariffs,” Rosenzweig said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last year, he ended what was known as the de minimis exemption, which had allowed goods valued at $800 or less to enter the US without paying any tariffs.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023