milling

American  

[mil-ing] / ˈmɪl ɪŋ /

noun

1. an act or instance of subjecting something to the operation of a mill.

2. an act or process of producing plane or shaped surfaces with a milling machine.

3. Coining.

   1. an act or process of making a raised edge on a coin or the like.

   2. an act or process of making narrow, radial grooves on such a raised edge.

   3. a number of grooves so made.

4. Slang. a beating or thrashing.

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milling British  

/ ˈmɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or process of grinding, cutting, pressing, or crushing in a mill

2. the vertical grooves or fluting on the edge of a coin, etc

3. (in W North America) a method of halting a stampede of cattle by turning the leaders in a wide arc until the herd turns in upon itself in a tightening spiral

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Etymology

Origin of milling

1425–75; late Middle English. See mill ¹, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Her machinery allowed households to produce meal more reliably and in greater quantities and supported the shift from subsistence hand-pounding to mechanized milling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

There wasn't exactly an air of shock among members milling around the tea and coffee tables in Paisley.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Sean Murtha, a Los Angeles Police Department officer, testified he responded to a 911 call and found people milling around an F-150 in the middle of Fountain Avenue, “crying, yelling hysterically.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

Hundreds of tourists could be seen milling around the fountain Friday, many holding phones aloft to snap pictures.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

Aimee told me later that as I launched into my first tumbling pass, people who were milling around and chatting suddenly became still, watching me.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles