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• mil
  mil

  noun

  a unit of length equal to 0.001 of an inch (0.0254 millimeters), used in measuring the diameter of wires.
• mil.
  mil.

  abbreviation

  military.
• MIL
  MIL

  abbreviation

  mother-in-law.

mil

¹ American  

[mil] / mɪl /

noun

1. a unit of length equal to 0.001 of an inch (0.0254 millimeters), used in measuring the diameter of wires.

2. a military unit of angular measurement equal to the angle subtended by 1/6400 of a circumference.

3. (less accurately) the angle subtended by an arc equal to 1/1000 (0.001) of the radius or distance.

4. (used formerly in pharmaceutical prescriptions) a milliliter.

5. a former bronze coin of the mandate of Palestine, the 1/1000 part of a pound.

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mil ² American  

[mil] / mɪl /

noun

1. Slang. a million.

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mil. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. military.

2. militia.

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MIL ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. mother-in-law.

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mil. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. military

2. militia

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mil ² British  

/ mɪl /

noun

1. a unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch

2. an obsolete pharmaceutical unit of volume equal to one millilitre

3. a unit of angular measure, used in gunnery, equal to one sixty-four-hundredth of a circumference

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mil ³ British  

abbreviation

1. a US military department

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mil Scientific  

/ mĭl /

1. A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 1/1000 of an inch (0.03 millimeter), used chiefly to measure the diameter of wires.

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Etymology

Origin of mil¹

First recorded in 1715–25; short for Latin millēsimus “thousandth,” equivalent to mill(e) “thousand” ( see mile) + -ēsimus ordinal suffix

Origin of mil²

By shortening

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mil mil. MIL

The quarterback alone, lured away from Duke this past offseason, cost a cool mil.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2024

Use 5 mil painters plastic around the room in the corner where the wall and ceiling meet.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

"These agreements were reached just recently, and we know that we have work with the PRC mil to do to solidify the next steps," Franchetti said.

From Reuters ● Nov. 24, 2023

What on earth is the point of moving into these places that take a nonrefundable half a mil from you before you even move in??

From Slate ● May 4, 2022

“Gwyneth mil ruin that sparrow hawk,” remarked Lancelot.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

“It is reasonable to believe that the Company could breach its $35 mil. liquidity requirement at any moment,” Stephens analyst Jack Atkins and associate Grant Smith wrote.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 28, 2023

While billionaires pay $90 mil. for an apartment they won't ever live in.

From New York Times ● Dec. 12, 2014

Not 10-20 mil., but more like 50-75 million!!!!  

From Time ● Apr. 30, 2013

The advertisement of February for seamen to man the Pedro Primeiro is as follows:—To able-bodied seamen 8 mil. bounty; 4 mil.

From Journal of a Voyage to Brazil And Residence There During Part of the Years 1821, 1822, 1823 by Maria Graham

In 1889 the tithes from which the Church revenues had been derived were abolished, and a tax of 3 per mil. on real estate was substituted.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10 "Echinoderma" to "Edward" by Various

For the past 45 years, my MIL has never criticized or commented on anything.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 11, 2022

When my daughter told me that her MIL had invited these extra people, I said no because we were already at maximum capacity.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 22, 2022

My MIL is coming to visit, and I’ve been stressing out about it constantly.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 24, 2022

Since your MIL handles the finances, she should lead the charge here.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2022

If finances are regularly left to your MIL, part of the problem may also be that it allows your FIL to view how much money he’s spending as an abstraction.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2022