mile

American  

[mahyl] / maɪl /

noun

• miles
  plural

1. Also called statute mile. a unit of distance on land in English-speaking countries equal to 5,280 feet, or 1,760 yards (1.609 kilometers).

2. nautical mile.

3. international nautical mile.

4. any of various other units of distance or length at different periods and in different countries.

5. a notable distance or margin: mi, mi.

   missed the target by a mile.

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mile British  

/ maɪl /

noun

1. Also called: statute mile. a unit of length used in the UK, the US, and certain other countries, equal to 1760 yards. 1 mile is equivalent to 1.609 34 kilometres

2. See nautical mile

3. See Swedish mile

4. any of various units of length used at different times and places, esp the Roman mile, equivalent to 1620 yards

5. informal (often plural) a great distance; great deal

   he missed by a mile

6. a race extending over a mile

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adverb

1. (intensifier)

   he likes his new job miles better

mile Scientific  

/ mīl /

1. A unit of length in the US Customary System, equal to 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards (about 1.61 kilometers).

2. Also called statute mile

3. See nautical mile See Table at measurement

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mile Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing mile

• miss by a mile
• miss is as good as a mile
• stick out (like a mile)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• miles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of mile

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English mīl, from Latin mīlle (passus); mīlle, mīlia (passuum) “a thousand (paces), thousands of paces”

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Explanation

A mile is a unit for measuring distance. There are 1,760 yards in a mile, which is the same as 5,280 feet or 63,360 inches. If you're exhausted in the morning, your mile-long walk to school might feel much longer. In the U.S. and the U.K., the mile is the standard unit for measuring roads and highways, while most other countries use the kilometer instead. You might hear people talk about how many miles per gallon their cars can go, or how many miles per hour they're allowed to drive. Informally, the word miles also means "a long way," or "a lot," so you might describe a crowd stretching for miles. The Latin root, milia, means "thousands."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mile miles

“The house sits on a mountain, on 26 acres and has a 140 mile view,” she said on a social media post describing the place.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

They can also provide mile markers within a pullback, so investors don’t feel like they are running blind.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

However, after taking over two seconds off O'Sullivan's Irish mile record in July, Mageean was named the 2023 BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Back on the highway, the road climbs steadily, surpassing 8,000 feet near mile 15.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

“About a half a mile from the farm,” Chase shouted above the wind.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith

A few miles later, Steve Apa told the outlets, he started receiving texts from his daughter that said things like “ugh” and “ow.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Very few people braving near-freezing conditions in Anchorage appeared concerned about the revelations first reported by The New York Times, which landed like a thunderclap in political circles thousands of miles away.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

It is a journey that has taken England from his first match in the village of Royston, five miles outside Barnsley, to the top of the game - twice.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

After clocking 200 days and 50,000 nautical miles at sea, it set out in January to practice hunting submarines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

The sun was bright, everything was moving well, and the dogs had settled into the rhythm that could take them a hundred or a thousand miles.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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