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

Alex, as the township is known, is a stone's throw away from Sandton, Africa's richest square mile, but the differences could not be starker.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Near Vermont and Wilshire boulevards, the closest open dumpster the group found was about a mile away, she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● 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

A handful of top long-distance athletes work at running stores, fitting people who have no idea how fast they are; ‘That’s 4:30 a mile!’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

“That hair! Jarvis and his men will spot you a mile away —they’ll want to know what we talked about.”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Definitions of “deep” vary from around 100 miles to hundreds of miles, but broadly refer to targets far behind the front line.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

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

Earlier, crowds gathered in Hull's city centre to welcome Bushby, before he set off to complete the final few miles home to his mother Angela Bushby.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

It’s only 6.2 miles, and Jonah and I need to run nine for our training plan, but we decided to sign up to get some racing experience.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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