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
Step aside Disney princesses, vampires and minions – another Halloween costume may have joined the list of most popular getups for 2024: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 1 Nov. 2024
The MacGuffin that causes Knull’s generic, interstellar cockroach minions to hunt down Venom/Brock on Earth is a lifeforce-slash-tracking-device known as the Codex.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2024
In recent years, one of the farm’s employees, Juan Ramirez, has crafted giant minions out of hay bales that are visible from the freeway.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
While there, five of Gru’s minions volunteer for Silas’ Mega Minions program, which gives each of them unique superpowers.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for minion 
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Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 1 Nov. 2024
The MacGuffin that causes Knull’s generic, interstellar cockroach minions to hunt down Venom/Brock on Earth is a lifeforce-slash-tracking-device known as the Codex.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2024
In recent years, one of the farm’s employees, Juan Ramirez, has crafted giant minions out of hay bales that are visible from the freeway.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
While there, five of Gru’s minions volunteer for Silas’ Mega Minions program, which gives each of them unique superpowers.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes, 15 Oct. 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 21 Nov. 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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