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miner

American  
[mahy-ner] / ˈmaɪ nər /

noun

  1. Also called mineworker.  a person who works in a mine, especially a commercial mine producing coal or metallic ores.

    His ancestors were slate miners in Wales who emigrated to the United States.

  2. a mechanical device used in mining.

    She made her money by developing a miner for extracting ores from the ocean floor.

  3. any of several Australian birds of the genus Manorina, feeding on honey and typically having a loud call.

  4. Entomology. any of various insect larvae that create tunnels in the parenchyma of leaves.

  5. Digital Technology.

    1. a computer or network of computers engaged in solving sets of mathematical problems that are used to verify cryptocurrency transactions and that, when solved, yield a unit of the currency.

    2. a software application that is designed to run this process.

    3. a person or company that engages in this process.

  6. (formerly) a person who places or lays explosive mines.

miner British  
/ ˈmaɪnə /

noun

  1. a person who works in a mine

  2. Also called: continuous miner.  a large machine for the automatic extraction of minerals, esp coal, from a mine

  3. any of various insects or insect larvae that bore into and feed on plant tissues See also leaf miner

  4. any of several honey-eaters of the genus Manorina, esp M. melanocephala (noisy miner), of scrub regions See noisy miner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of miner

First recorded in 1225–75; mine 2 + -er 1; replacing Middle English minour, from Anglo-French ( -or 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.

Voltify’s seed round was co-led by Israeli venture firm Aleph and Australian miner Fortescue, which aims to eliminate carbon emissions from its Australian iron-ore operations—including its private railroad—by the end of 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Precious metal miner Hochschild Mining loses 5.15%, while peers Fresnillo and Endeavour Mining are down just under 4%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Shares of lithium miner Albemarle jumped 7% while aluminum producer Alcoa dipped 0.7%.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

Canada and South America as the world’s biggest miner expands in copper and potash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

A miner, shoe shiner, or a railroad liner?

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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.