mint

1.nounB1

Definition

a green plant with leaves that have a strong cool taste and a fresh smell, used to add flavour to food, drinks, and products such as toothpaste.

Example

Min added fresh mint leaves to the lemonade for a cool summer drink.

collocation: fresh mint / mint leaves

The recipe requires mint sauce to go with the roast lamb.

collocation: mint sauce

Common collocations

fresh mint
mint leaves
mint sauce
mint tea
mint jelly
peppermint
spearmint

Synonyms

peppermint
a specific type of mint with a stronger, more pungent flavour; often used in sweets and teas
spearmint
the most common culinary mint, milder than peppermint, used in savoury dishes and drinks

Grammar Patterns

mint as a countable plant species

mint as an uncountable herb/leaf

2.nounB1

Definition

a small sweet or candy that has a strong cool taste of mint oil, often eaten after a meal to freshen the breath.

Example

Henry offered me a mint after dinner to freshen my breath.

The box of chocolates had a soft green mint in the middle.

noun form: a mint (single sweet)

Common collocations

after-dinner mint
breath mint
mint chocolate
mint candy
packet of mints
sugar-free mint

Synonyms

breath mint
specifically designed to freshen breath, often less sweet
peppermint
a mint-flavoured sweet made with peppermint oil; can also refer to the plant itself

Grammar Patterns

a mint / two mints

packet of mints

3.nounB2

Definition

a government building or factory where metal coins and sometimes medals or banknotes are officially produced.

Example

The Royal Mint produces all the coins used in the United Kingdom.

proper noun: the Royal Mint

The mint in Philadelphia has been striking coins since 1792.

capitalised when referring to a specific institution

Common collocations

the Royal Mint
the US Mint
the Mint
a government mint
national mint
at the mint
mint building

Synonyms

coin factory
a descriptive term for any facility that makes coins; less official-sounding than 'mint'

Grammar Patterns

the Mint (proper noun for a specific institution)

Usage Note

Often capitalised (the Mint) when referring to a specific national institution such as the Royal Mint or the US Mint.

4.nounB2

Definition

so much cash that it counts as a fortune — the word appears only in the singular fixed phrase a mint, as in cost a mint or make a mint.

Example

Pim made a mint selling his apartment in Tokyo just before the market dropped.

fixed expression: make a mint (= earn a lot of money)

The company paid a mint for that thirty-second Super Bowl advertisement.

Common collocations

make a mint
cost a mint
worth a mint
pay a mint

Synonyms

fortune
similar meaning and informality; 'a fortune' is more common than 'a mint' in everyday speech
bundle
informal, similar meaning; 'cost a bundle' is roughly equivalent to 'cost a mint'

Grammar Patterns

a mint

make a mint

cost a mint

worth a mint

Usage Note

Always used in the singular 'a mint'. The plural 'mints' in the money sense does not exist — it only refers to the sweets or the factories.

Common Mistakes

She earned mints selling her business.

She earned a mint selling her business.

This sense is always singular; 'mints' only refers to the sweets or coin factories.

Idioms

in mint condition

idiom

Something that is in mint condition looks new and has no damage or marks.

Maya found a vintage camera in mint condition at the shop.

Is this comic book still in mint condition after all these years?

1.adjectiveB2

Definition

describing a stamp, coin, or other collectible item that has never been used and looks exactly as it did when it was first made.

Example

The collector paid top price for a mint stamp from 1850.

attributive use: mint stamp

Dewi owns a mint copy of the first Superman comic from 1938.

Common collocations

mint stamp
mint coin
mint copy
mint set
mint sheet

Synonyms

unused
simpler, more general term for stamps/coins; lacks the collector-market prestige of 'mint'

Antonyms

used
showing signs of handling or postal use for stamps
cancelled
specifically for stamps that have been postmarked and used

Grammar Patterns

mint + noun (stamp/coin)

still mint

Usage Note

Most commonly used of postage stamps and coins. For other items the phrase 'mint condition' (sense 2 below) is more natural.

2.adjectiveB1

Definition

in perfect physical condition, looking or working as well as when it was new — used especially of used goods, cars, books, clothing, and collectibles.

Example

Christopher bought a used car that was in mint condition with only ten thousand miles.

key phrase: in mint condition

The novel is almost fifty years old but the pages are still in mint condition.

Common collocations

mint condition
in mint condition
mint-condition

Synonyms

pristine
more formal; suggests untouched and unspoiled, often of natural or manufactured things
flawless
focuses on absence of defects rather than newness
immaculate
emphasises perfect cleanliness and the absence of any marks

Antonyms

damaged
having visible marks, scratches, or wear
worn
showing signs of regular use over time

Grammar Patterns

in mint condition

mint + noun

Usage Note

The fixed phrase 'in mint condition' is by far the most common use of this sense. It can modify nouns directly ('a mint-condition car') or follow the verb 'to be' ('the car is mint').

Common Mistakes

The car is in a mint condition.

The car is in mint condition.

No article (a/an) before 'mint condition'.

1.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

to make coins, medals, or banknotes from metal at an official factory by stamping or pressing.

Example

The government minted a special set of gold coins to celebrate the Olympic Games.

active: government minted coins

Silver coins are minted only when the price of silver makes production worthwhile.

passive: coins are minted

Common collocations

mint coins
minted gold
newly minted
mint a medal
mint currency

Synonyms

strike
more technical term used within the coin-making industry
coin
interchangeable with 'mint' for producing coins; 'coin' is more common as a verb

Grammar Patterns

mint + coin/medal/note

be minted (passive)

newly minted

Usage Note

The participle 'newly minted' is also used metaphorically for someone who has just graduated or started a new role ('a newly minted doctor').

2.verbtransitiveC1

Definition

to create a new word, phrase, or expression that people begin to use in everyday language.

Example

The term 'staycation' was minted around 2005 to describe holidays spent at home.

passive: term was minted + time reference

Iris minted the phrase 'digital nomad' in her blog post about remote work in 2015.

Common collocations

mint a word
mint a phrase
mint a term
mint an expression
newly minted

Synonyms

coin
the more common verb for inventing words/phrases; 'coin a word/phrase' is the standard collocation
invent
broader in scope — can apply to objects, ideas, or stories, not limited to language
neologize
technical term for creating new words; very rare in everyday English

Grammar Patterns

mint + word/phrase/term

be minted (passive)

Usage Note

Distinguish from the fixed idiom 'coin a phrase' (meaning 'to use a well-known expression, often ironically'). 'Mint a phrase' is not a fixed idiom — 'mint' here means to create something new in the language, while 'coin a phrase' is a set expression that always uses 'coin'.

Common Mistakes

Let me mint a phrase: better late than never.

Let me coin a phrase: better late than never.

The fixed idiom is 'coin a phrase', not 'mint a phrase'.

Word family

minty
adjectiveB1
minted
adjectiveB2
mintage
nounC1
minter
nounC1
peppermint
nounB1
spearmint
nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

All four words describe something in excellent condition, but they focus on different aspects. 'Mint' (as in 'in mint condition') is the most concrete — it suggests an item looks as good as the day it left the factory, with no wear, scratches, or use. 'Pristine' shifts the emphasis to untouched purity: a pristine beach has no footprints; a pristine book has never been opened. 'Flawless' zooms in on the absence of defects — a diamond can be flawless even if it was worn for decades. 'Immaculate' stresses perfect cleanliness and tidiness. A second-hand car can be 'in mint condition' (no mechanical wear), but an 'immaculate' car would also be spotlessly clean inside. For everyday shopping on sites like eBay, 'mint condition' is the standard phrase for collectibles and electronics; 'pristine' is more formal and less commercial.

mint ↗pristineflawless ↗immaculate

Common collocations

Nouns

mint leaves
mint sauce
mint tea
mint condition
mint stamp
mint coin
mint chocolate
mint plant
mint jelly

Adverbs

perfectly mint
still mint
absolutely mint

Phrases

in mint condition
make a mint
cost a mint
worth a mint
newly minted
mint green

Prepositions

in mint condition
mint from the factory

Etymology

GreekLatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The English word 'mint' actually comes from two completely separate origins that happen to sound the same today. The herb sense goes back to ancient Greek 'minthē', which became Latin 'mentha' and then Old English 'minte'. The coin factory sense has a different route: it comes from Latin 'moneta', meaning both 'money' and the Roman goddess Juno Moneta (in whose temple money was made). That became Old French 'monoie', then Middle English 'mynt'. So while the herb and the coin factory share a spelling, they are unrelated words that converged by coincidence.

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mint

mint — noun

1. a green plant with leaves that have a strong cool taste and a fresh smell, used

Grammar Patterns

2. a small sweet or candy that has a strong cool taste of mint oil, often eaten aft

Grammar Patterns

3. a government building or factory where metal coins and sometimes medals or bankn

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

4. so much cash that it counts as a fortune — the word appears only in the singular

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

in mint condition

mint — adjective

1. describing a stamp, coin, or other collectible item that has never been used and

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

2. in perfect physical condition, looking or working as well as when it was new — u

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

mint — verb

1. to make coins, medals, or banknotes from metal at an official factory by stampin

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

2. to create a new word, phrase, or expression that people begin to use in everyday

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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