strip mine

noun

: a mine that is worked from the earth's surface by the stripping of overburden
especially : a coal mine situated along the outcrop of a flat dipping bed
strip-mine verb
strip miner noun

Examples of strip mine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The viewer floats over slums, a strip mine, an artisanal sulfur mine. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023 There isn’t an inch on this planet that some craven rich person won’t figure out how to strip mine. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2023 The trucks had already made their first bauxite delivery of the day to the port and were returning to the strip mines for more. Rachel Chason and Chloe Sharrock, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Apr. 2023 The strip mine’s owner, Blackjewel, fixed some problems, but when the rains came again, so did the muddy flooding. Ken Ward Jr., ProPublica, 26 Apr. 2023 See all Example Sentences for strip mine 

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of strip mine was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near strip mine

Cite this Entry

“Strip mine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strip%20mine. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

strip mine

noun
: a mine that is worked from the earth's surface by the stripping away of covering material
strip-mine verb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!