mine
/maɪn/ (bre, ipa) · /maɪn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmīn/ (ame, mw)
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.
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.
文法句型
used as subject, object, or complement
replaces [possessive adjective + noun]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
mine — noun
- minesingular
- minesplural
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.
The abandoned diamond mine has become a popular tourist attraction.
- quarry
an open-air excavation for stone or gravel, not an underground tunnel system
文法句型
work in a mine
mine + [mineral]: compound noun
用法筆記
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.
- explosive device
a more general term for any object that contains explosives
文法句型
lay a mine
step on a mine
clear mines
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
mine — verb
- minepresent simple I / you / we / they
- mines3rd person singular
- mining-ing form
- minedpast simple
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.
They are mining for diamonds along the riverbed in Sierra Leone.
The village stopped mining after the main tunnel became unsafe last year.
文法句型
mine + [mineral]
mine for [mineral]
mine [mineral] from [place]
用法筆記
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).
常見錯誤
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.
- booby-trap
more specific — hiding a device designed to surprise and harm the person who triggers it
- clear
to remove mines from an area
文法句型
mine + [area]
[area] was mined
用法筆記
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.
文法句型
mine + [data]
mine [data] for [information]
用法筆記
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.
- generate cryptocurrency
a more formal, technical description rather than a direct synonym
文法句型
mine + [cryptocurrency]
mine for [cryptocurrency]
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
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.
文法句型
used before vowel sound or h
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
mine — adjective
- minepositive
- minercomparative
- minestsuperlative
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."
文法句型
used before a noun as possessive
用法筆記
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.