mine
mine — pronoun
1. Used to refer to something that belongs to the person who is speaking or writing
Used to refer to something that belongs to the person who is speaking or writing, without repeating the noun itself — for example, saying "That bag is mine" instead of "That bag is my bag."
Leo borrowed my pen, but the one on the desk is mine.
possessive pronoun standing alone as complement
Élise thought the blue suitcase was hers, but it was actually mine.
Your opinion on the matter is different from mine, and that is fine.
used after preposition: different from mine
Quan asked if the car in the driveway was mine or my neighbour's.
An old friend of mine from college called me last night.
structure: a friend of mine
- a friend of mine
- of mine
- mine alone
- mine to keep
Grammar Patterns
used as subject, object, or complement
replaces [possessive adjective + noun]
Usage Note
Mine is a possessive pronoun — it stands alone without a following noun. This contrasts with the possessive adjective my, which must be followed by a noun (e.g., my book, not mine book). Expressions such as a friend of mine and of mine are common fixed patterns.
Common Mistakes
mine — noun
1. a deep underground network of tunnels dug to extract valuable materials like coa
a deep underground network of tunnels dug to extract valuable materials like coal, gold, diamonds, copper, or salt from beneath the earth's surface
The gold mine in South Africa closed after a century of operation.
compound noun: gold mine
Jenna's grandfather worked in a coal mine for thirty years before retiring.
The company opened a new copper mine in the mountains last spring.
Rescue teams arrived at the mine after the tunnel collapsed on Tuesday.
collocation: arrive at / enter a mine
The abandoned diamond mine has become a popular tourist attraction.
- coal mine
- gold mine
- diamond mine
- work in a mine
- mine shaft
- mine entrance
- abandoned mine
- quarry
an open-air excavation for stone or gravel, not an underground tunnel system
Grammar Patterns
work in a mine
mine + [mineral]: compound noun
Usage Note
The type of material extracted is typically specified as a compound noun: coal mine, gold mine, diamond mine, copper mine. A mine is underground, unlike a quarry (open-air excavation for stone or gravel).
2. a metal device packed with explosives, hidden beneath the earth's surface or und
a metal device packed with explosives, hidden beneath the earth's surface or underwater, designed to explode when triggered by a person, vehicle, or ship passing nearby
The army cleared the field after discovering several land mines.
compound noun: land mine
Naval ships must navigate carefully through waters where mines have been laid.
passive: mines have been laid
A mine exploded beneath the patrol vehicle, but no one was hurt.
The peace treaty required both sides to remove all mines from the border.
Divers found an old naval mine from the war on the ocean floor.
compound noun: naval mine
- land mine
- naval mine
- lay a mine
- clear mines
- step on a mine
- plant a mine
- explosive device
a more general term for any object that contains explosives
Grammar Patterns
lay a mine
step on a mine
clear mines
Usage Note
The two main types are land mines (buried in the ground) and naval mines (placed in the sea). The verbs lay, plant, and clear are commonly paired with this sense. The expression step on a mine typically describes accidentally triggering a land mine.
Common Mistakes
mine — verb
1. to remove valuable materials like coal, gold, or diamonds from beneath the earth
to remove valuable materials like coal, gold, or diamonds from beneath the earth's surface by digging
The company has been mining copper in this region since 1995.
transitive: mine + [mineral]
Aoi's father mined coal for a living in the mountains of Kyushu.
The workers mined salt from deep underground caves near the coast.
pattern: mine [mineral] from [location]
They are mining for diamonds along the riverbed in Sierra Leone.
intransitive: mine for [mineral]
The village stopped mining after the main tunnel became unsafe last year.
- mine coal
- mine gold
- mine for diamonds
- mine from the earth
- heavily mined
Grammar Patterns
mine + [mineral]
mine for [mineral]
mine [mineral] from [place]
Usage Note
Inflections: mine → mined (past) → mined (past participle) → mining (present participle). The intransitive form uses the preposition for (mine for gold), while the transitive form takes the mineral as a direct object (mine gold).
Common Mistakes
2. to hide explosive devices under the ground or in the water as a military tactic
to hide explosive devices under the ground or in the water as a military tactic so that they will explode when an enemy, vehicle, or ship passes over them
The enemy forces mined the entire beach before the invasion began.
transitive: mine + [area]
The harbour was heavily mined during the war to stop enemy ships.
passive: [area] was mined
The rebels mined the road leading to the capital city at midnight.
Engineers spent two weeks mining the area around the military base.
- mine a harbour
- mine a road
- mine a beach
- heavily mined
- mined area
- booby-trap
more specific — hiding a device designed to surprise and harm the person who triggers it
- clear
to remove mines from an area
Grammar Patterns
mine + [area]
[area] was mined
Usage Note
Passive forms are frequent in military contexts: The entire region was mined. This sense should not be confused with verb sense 1 (digging minerals), although the two share the same inflections: mined, mining.
3. to examine extremely large collections of digital information using specialised
to examine extremely large collections of digital information using specialised software, looking for hidden patterns or useful insights
The marketing team mined customer data to find buying patterns.
transitive: mine + [data type]
Researchers mined millions of social media posts to study public opinion.
The hospital mines patient records to predict disease outbreaks early.
Gita's company mines data from online shopping sites to spot trends.
pattern: mine [data] from [source]
- mine data
- mine information
- data mining
- mine for patterns
- mine customer data
Grammar Patterns
mine + [data]
mine [data] for [information]
Usage Note
Often used in the gerund form data mining, which is a recognised field of computer science. The verb can be used transitively (mine customer data) or intransitively with for (mine for information).
4. to use powerful computers running special software to solve complex mathematical
to use powerful computers running special software to solve complex mathematical problems that create new units of a digital currency such as Bitcoin
Karim built a powerful computer just for mining Bitcoin at home.
transitive: mine + [cryptocurrency]
The factory in Iceland mines Ethereum using geothermal electricity.
More people started mining cryptocurrency after the value increased sharply.
Pim mines Bitcoin in his garage, but the electricity cost is very high.
- mine Bitcoin
- mine Ethereum
- mine cryptocurrency
- Bitcoin mining
- mining rig
- mining pool
- generate cryptocurrency
a more formal, technical description rather than a direct synonym
Grammar Patterns
mine + [cryptocurrency]
mine for [cryptocurrency]
Usage Note
This sense extends the metaphor of mining (sense 1: digging for valuable materials) to the digital world — computers do complex calculations instead of digging, and the valuable material is cryptocurrency. It is most common in computing and finance contexts. Inflections follow the regular pattern: mined, mining.
Common Mistakes
mine — determiner
1. an old form of the word "my" that was used before words starting with a vowel so
an old form of the word "my" that was used before words starting with a vowel sound or the letter "h" — no longer used in modern everyday English, but still found in older literature, poetry, and religious texts
In Shakespeare's play, a character says "mine eyes have seen the light."
archaic determiner before vowel: mine eyes
The old poem begins with the line "Mine heart is sore and full of woe."
The priest read from the ancient text: "Mine enemy has fallen this day."
The Renaissance poet wrote "Mine honour is my life" in his famous sonnet.
In the King James Bible, the phrase "mine iniquity" appears several times.
archaic determiner before i-: mine iniquity
- mine eyes
- mine heart
- mine own
- mine honour
- mine enemy
Grammar Patterns
used before vowel sound or h
Usage Note
This form is now considered archaic. In modern English, use my instead, even before vowels (e.g., my eyes, not mine eyes). It survives in a few fixed expressions and is commonly encountered when reading older literary works, the King James Bible, or Shakespeare. The rule was: use mine before vowel sounds and h, and my before consonant sounds.
Common Mistakes
mine — adjective
1. an old form of the possessive adjective "my," used in historical English writing
an old form of the possessive adjective "my," used in historical English writing, especially poetry and religious texts, before words beginning with vowel sounds or the letter "h"
The old letter read: "To mine own true love, I give this ring."
archaic adjective: mine own
In the medieval story, the knight swore loyalty to mine lord the king.
archaic adjective before m-: mine lord
The ancient manuscript begins with the words "Mine own hand wrote this tale."
The royal decree began with the words "Mine subjects shall obey this law."
- mine own
- mine lord
- mine heart
Grammar Patterns
used before a noun as possessive
Usage Note
This archaic adjective form is essentially interchangeable with the determiner sense — both mean my and were used in older English before vowel sounds and h. In modern English, use my exclusively. Learners may encounter this form when reading the works of Shakespeare, the King James Bible, and older poetry.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
A mine is an underground system of tunnels and shafts where workers extract valuable minerals such as coal, gold, or diamonds. A quarry is an open-air excavation from which stone, gravel, or sand is removed — it has no roof or tunnels. A pit is a large hole in the ground that may be dug for various purposes; a gravel pit is similar to a quarry but smaller and less structured, while a pit can also be a coal mine in British English (e.g., a coal pit). A tunnel is a passage dug through the ground or rock, usually for transportation (roads, trains) or utilities, not for extracting minerals. For example: 'The miners entered the gold mine through a narrow tunnel,' but the tunnel itself is just the passage, while the mine is the whole operation.
Common collocations
Etymology
The English word mine has two separate historical origins that happen to share the same spelling. The pronoun and possessive adjective come from Old English mīn, a Germanic possessive form meaning 'my' or 'belonging to me.' The noun and verb meanings related to excavation entered English from Old French mine (meaning 'a vein of ore' or 'a tunnel'), which probably came from a Celtic source — compare Welsh mwyn meaning 'ore' and Irish mianach meaning 'mine.' The military sense of laying explosive devices developed later, extending from the idea of digging tunnels under enemy positions (a tactic used in medieval warfare) to placing hidden explosives.