never mind
idiomatic phrase
1
—used to tell someone not to be concerned about or give attention to something or someone
Never mind your mistake: it wasn't serious.
So you made a little mistake! Never mind (about that): it wasn't serious.
'Well, it is a little awkward, for I have a business already,' said I. 'Oh, never mind about that, Mr. Wilson!' said Vincent Spaulding. 'I should be able to look after that for you.'—
Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan DoyleHe would tell Blossom that she might go back to her aunt and never mind about him—he would do very well by himself and he did not blame her in the least.—Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery2
—used to say that something previously mentioned or asked can be disregarded
Do you know where my keys are? Oh, never mind. Here they are.
3
—used to refer to something that is even less likely or possible than something else being mentioned or described
I can barely understand it, never mind explain it.
With this knee I can hardly walk, never mind run.
Never mind mastering a second language or a subject syllabus, most us have enough difficulty remembering the orders for a round of drinks at the pub.—David Robson
David RobsonExamples of never mind in a Sentence
I have a hard enough time getting out of bed before sunrise, never mind getting to work so early.
Recent Examples on the Web
Actually, these all sound like legit names for nail polishes, never mind.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 8 July 2025
Remember those times when Daddy took me and my brother to Yorkville to eat cabbage soup or any other place where people were puzzled by our presence and Daddy paid those pale question marks no never mind?
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
With the low global price of natural gas, drillers are struggling to maintain the existing number of rigs, never mind expanding business.
—Alexander C. Kaufman, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025
To make anything that lasts, never mind endures after seven decades, is improbable.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for never mind
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Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 8 July 2025
Remember those times when Daddy took me and my brother to Yorkville to eat cabbage soup or any other place where people were puzzled by our presence and Daddy paid those pale question marks no never mind?
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
With the low global price of natural gas, drillers are struggling to maintain the existing number of rigs, never mind expanding business.
—Alexander C. Kaufman, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025
To make anything that lasts, never mind endures after seven decades, is improbable.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for never mind
Cite this Entry
“Never mind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/never%20mind. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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