minion

noun

min·​ion ˈmin-yən How to pronounce minion (audio)
1
: a servile dependent, follower, or underling
He's one of the boss's minions.
2
: one highly favored : idol
his great charity to the poor renders him the minion of the peopleJonas Hanway
3
: a subordinate (see subordinate entry 1 sense 1) or petty official
government minions

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The Origins of Minion

Minion comes from Middle French and is related to filet mignon. The two terms are connected by mignon, meaning "darling." The earliest uses of minion refer to someone who is a particular favorite of a sovereign or other important personage. Over time, however, the word developed a more derogatory sense referring to a person who is servile and unimportant.

Examples of minion in a Sentence

one of the boss's minions most of the top appointments went to the new governor's personal minions and political cronies
Recent Examples on the Web The 30-minute production explores some of the places and people in the Badger State that Capone embraced, from the Northwoods to Brookfield — and one place where his minions gunned down one of his foes. Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 29 Jan. 2024 There's no ensemble here, just Vergara and a disposable bunch of minions and victims. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024 Tony Stark wields all six in a showdown with Thanos and is the one who snaps the biggest MCU villain of the entire Infinity Saga and all his minions into dust, draining himself of life in the process. Glenn Greenberg, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 This version of the Countess ends up in Ostend with her minion (Andrea Rau), who descend upon a newlywed couple staying at the same isolated seafront hotel. Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2024 The trailer features Gru attempting a heist, fighting a feral honey badger, and putting up with the usual minion hijinks. Vulture, 28 Jan. 2024 But even if Walmart employees had noticed Chen or one of his minions, they weren’t properly trained to identify and stop financial misbehavior. Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2024 Cady navigates the elite girls club led by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her minions Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika Vandanapu) after moving from Kenya to a Chicago suburb and struggling to survive her new high school jungle. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2024 With her sycophantic minions, Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika), Regina begins to teach Cady the ways of the Plastics. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 10 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French mignon darling

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of minion was circa 1500

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Dictionary Entries Near minion

Cite this Entry

“Minion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minion. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

minion

noun
min·​ion ˈmin-yən How to pronounce minion (audio)
1
: a person who obediently serves or works for a usually powerful person or organization
2

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