plural mink or minks
1
: soft fur or pelt of the mink varying in color from white to dark brown
2
: either of two slender-bodied semiaquatic carnivorous mammals (Mustela vison of North America and M. lutreola of Eurasia) of the weasel family that have partially webbed feet, a rather short bushy tail, and a soft thick coat

Illustration of mink

Illustration of mink
  • mink 2

Examples of mink in a Sentence

a coat made of mink women wearing expensive jewelry and minks
Recent Examples on the Web Rising to the occasion with enough charisma to make Barbie proud, Wilson took to the stage in a mink coat befitting a true Ken. Shania Russell, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2024 Each ball was filled with cigarette filters that had been dampened with one or two drops from captive minks’ anal glands—an irresistible pheromone for wild minks following their powerful noses. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024 The mink eel distressed saddle bag by John Galliano matched perfectly with the white fur look of her coat, tying the whole look together. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 Gosling told Variety that Stallone’s wardrobe during the 1980s inspired Ken’s trademark mink coat. Zack Sharf, Variety, 12 Feb. 2024 But soon, the minks escaped from these farms, and some were freed by animal rights activists in the 1990s. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024 Wolverines are in the Mustelidae family, a group of carnivorous mammals, along with weasels, mink, marten and otters, according got the National Park Service. Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 29 Nov. 2023 There have also been outbreaks of the virus at mink farms in France and Spain and the USDA banned poultry imports from France in October 2023. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 17 Jan. 2024 One of the character’s most memorable looks in the blockbuster comedy is a white mink coat. Zack Sharf, Variety, 15 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mink.' 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 English

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mink was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mink

Cite this Entry

“Mink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mink. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mink

noun
plural mink or minks
: either of two flesh-eating mammals that resemble the related weasels, have a slender body, partly webbed feet, and a somewhat bushy tail, and live near water
also : the soft normally dark brown fur of a mink

More from Merriam-Webster on mink

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