mile

[mahyl]

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).

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.

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

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

adverb

1. (intensifier)

   he likes his new job miles better

mile

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mile¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mile¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

Example Sentences

Kelce grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, about 70 miles from Cedar Point, which is operated by Six Flags.

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Setting his alarm for 5:30 in the morning, he’d wake his father and they would go for a 1½-mile run to a relative’s home for workouts before running back.

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The irony of it happening more than 1,500 miles away from Burning Man, where installations are ceremonially reduced to ash, is not lost.

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Just 90 miles of open ocean separate Andy Pages’ boyhood home in Mantua, Cuba, from the southern tip of the Florida Keys.

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During the quarter, the utility said it completed 97 miles of underground power lines and installed 58 miles of strengthened poles and covered power lines in high wildfire-risk areas.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal