mile

[ mahyl ]
See synonyms for: milemiles on Thesaurus.com

noun
  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).

  1. any of various other units of distance or length at different periods and in different countries.: Compare Roman mile.

  2. a notable distance or margin: missed the target by a mile.Abbreviation: mi, mi.

Origin of mile

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English mīl, from Latin mīlle (passus); mīlle, mīlia (passuum) “a thousand (paces), thousands of paces”

Words Nearby mile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mile

mile

/ (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

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

  2. (often plural) informal a great distance; great deal: he missed by a mile

  3. a race extending over a mile

adverb
  1. miles (intensifier): he likes his new job miles better

Origin of mile

1
Old English mīl, from Latin mīlia (passuum) a thousand (paces)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for mile

mile

[ mīl ]


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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with mile

mile

In addition to the idioms beginning with mile

  • mile a minute, a
  • miles and miles

also see:

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.