Definition of "miner" []

• One whose work or business it is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. (noun)
• A machine for the automatic extraction of minerals, especially of coal. (noun)
• A soldier, often a specialist, engaged in mining operations. (noun)
• Zoology A leaf miner. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I've knowed them to, maybe when somebody'd be out or didn't come in (maybe it would be a chucker or maybe it would be a machine runner — what we called a miner), well, they'd give you so many candles (we used to use candles, you see) and send them down and tell them to stay down."
• "Massey Energy Co., the nation's sixth-largest coal miner, is exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale, according to people familiar with the matter."
• "*** Metals and mining Massey Energy, the U. S.'s sixth-largest coal miner, is exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale, according to people familiar with the matter."