mince
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cut or chop into very small pieces.
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to soften, moderate, or weaken (one's words), especially for the sake of decorum or courtesy.
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to perform or utter with affected elegance.
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to subdivide minutely, as land or a topic for study.
verb (used without object)
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to walk or move with short, affectedly dainty steps.
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Archaic. to act or speak with affected elegance.
noun
idioms
verb
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(tr) to chop, grind, or cut into very small pieces
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(tr) to soften or moderate, esp for the sake of convention or politeness
I didn't mince my words
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(intr) to walk or speak in an affected dainty manner
noun
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minced meat
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informal nonsensical rubbish
Other Word Forms
- mincer noun
- unminced adjective
Etymology
Origin of mince
1350–1400; Middle English mincen < Middle French minc ( i ) er < Vulgar Latin *minūtiāre to mince; minute 2
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.
Relief pitcher Blake Treinen, one of the longest-tenured players on the Dodgers heading into his seventh season with the team, did not mince words when asked about how outsiders view the organization.
From Los Angeles Times
And she doesn't mince her words about how long it's taken a female British painter to get a solo show in the Royal Academy's main galleries, calling it "obscene" and "historically quite extraordinary".
From BBC
"We bring in a few mince pies, the site offices might have a bit of tinsel around," he says.
From BBC
Appointed by George W. Bush, Judge Leon is no activist liberal, but he doesn’t mince words when he sees an abuse of the law.
Harriet didn't mince her words when she won the opportunity to speak directly to the traitors, who were hidden away in the church confessional.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
