mini-break

IPA/ˈmɪn.i.breɪk/
IPA/ˈmɪn.i.breɪk/

mini-break — noun

1. a short holiday away from home, often lasting only one or two nights

1.nounB1
Definition

a short holiday away from home, often lasting only one or two nights

Example

After the exam week, Hana booked a mini-break in Tainan with friends.

book a mini-break in + [place]

The hotel offers a mini-break package with breakfast and late checkout.

mini-break package

Common collocations
  • book a mini-break
  • go on a mini-break
  • mini-break package
  • weekend mini-break
  • city mini-break
Synonyms
  • getaway

    more informal and focused on escaping daily pressure

  • weekend away

    usually points specifically to a trip over a weekend

  • short break

    broader phrase that can include staying closer to home

  • holiday

    much broader term and often longer than a mini-break

Grammar Patterns

book a mini-break in [place]

go on a mini-break

take a mini-break

Usage Note

Often used for a quick leisure trip of one or two nights, especially in British travel ads and hotel offers. Unlike a general holiday, it usually suggests a brief escape rather than a long period away.

Common Mistakes

We had a mini-break for two weeks.
We had a holiday for two weeks.
a mini-break usually means only a very short trip, often around a weekend.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe time away from normal routine, but they do not suggest the same length or tone. A mini-break is a very short leisure trip, often one or two nights, and it is especially common in hotel and travel promotion. A getaway is more informal and highlights the feeling of escaping pressure, not the trip's exact length. A weekend away is concrete and usually means leaving for just a weekend. A short break is broader and may even include a brief rest close to home. Holiday is the widest term and can describe much longer time away. You might book a romantic mini-break in Bath, but take a long holiday in Spain.

mini-break ↗getaway ↗weekend awayshort breakholiday ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • mini-break package
  • weekend mini-break
  • city mini-break

Phrases

  • book a mini-break
  • go on a mini-break
  • take a mini-break

Prepositions

  • on (go on a mini-break)
  • in (book a mini-break in [place])

Etymology

English

The compound mini-break was formed in modern English from mini-, meaning small, and break, meaning a pause from normal work. It became especially common in British travel language for a short holiday, often arranged for a weekend or a couple of nights.