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 people—
Jonas Hanway
Jonas Hanway3
: 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
Not so, for minions who might break the law doing Trump's dirty work.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
The first 10 minutes of the game are called the Laning Phase, and you're expected to stay in your lane and begin taking out minions and collecting souls to help your team start leveling up.
—Omar L. Gallaga, WIRED, 29 Sep. 2024
The enormous uphill climb to the book’s publication has been well told, notably in Caro’s mini-memoir Working and the documentary Turn Every Page, but a quick recap goes like this: The research was exhaustive and exhausting, as Caro faced enormous pushback from Moses and his minions.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2024
Trump’s minions are already trying to suggest—preposterously—that his reelection is the main reason for the cease-fire.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for minion 
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Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
The first 10 minutes of the game are called the Laning Phase, and you're expected to stay in your lane and begin taking out minions and collecting souls to help your team start leveling up.
—Omar L. Gallaga, WIRED, 29 Sep. 2024
The enormous uphill climb to the book’s publication has been well told, notably in Caro’s mini-memoir Working and the documentary Turn Every Page, but a quick recap goes like this: The research was exhaustive and exhausting, as Caro faced enormous pushback from Moses and his minions.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2024
Trump’s minions are already trying to suggest—preposterously—that his reelection is the main reason for the cease-fire.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for minion
Dictionary Entries Near minion
Cite this Entry
“Minion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minion. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
minion
noun
min·ion
ˈmin-yən 
1
: a person who obediently serves or works for a usually powerful person or organization
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