Minuteman
[ min-it-man ]
/ ˈmɪn ɪtˌmæn /
noun, plural Min·ute·men.
(sometimes lowercase)
a member of a group of American militiamen just before and during the Revolutionary War who held themselves in readiness for instant military service.
a U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile with three stages, powered by solid-propellant rocket engines.
a member of a small, secret, ultraconservative organization formed into armed groups for the declared purpose of conducting guerrilla warfare against a communist invasion of the U.S.
Example sentences from the Web for minutemen
British Dictionary definitions for minutemen
Minuteman
/ (ˈmɪnɪtˌmæn) /
noun plural -men
(sometimes not capital)
(in the War of American Independence) a colonial militiaman who promised to be ready to fight at one minute's notice
a US three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile
Cultural definitions for minutemen
Minutemen
Armed American civilians who were active in the Revolutionary War and in the period just preceding the war. They were named Minutemen because they were ready to fight alongside regular soldiers at a moment's notice. The Minutemen of Massachusetts were especially well known. (See Battle of Lexington and Concord.)
notes for Minutemen
During the
cold war, the name “Minuteman” was given to a United States missile held ready for launching in the event of a nuclear attack.