run-of-the-mill

[ ruhn-uhv-thuh-mil ]

/ ˈrʌn əv ðəˈmɪl /

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See synonyms for run-of-the-mill on Thesaurus.com

adjective

merely average; commonplace; mediocre: just a plain, run-of-the-mill house; a run-of-the-mill performance.

OTHER WORDS FOR run-of-the-mill

ordinary, routine, everyday.

See synonyms for run-of-the-mill on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of run-of-the-mill

First recorded in 1925–30

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

How to use run-of-the-mill in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks||January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Everybody is trapped in an elevator together and tempers run a little hot.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Using standard methods, the cost of printing DNA could run upwards of a billion dollars or more, depending on the strand.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Should lightning strike and Hillary Clinton forgoes a presidential run, Democrats have a nominee in waiting.
Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton|Eleanor Clift|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Do not the widow's tears run down the cheek, and her cry against him that causeth them to fall?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
But men we had known and trails we had followed furnished us plenty of grist for the conversational mill.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
A few, very few, little dots had run back over that green patch—the others had passed down into the world of darkness.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
But if what I told him were true, he was still at a loss how a kingdom could run out of its estate like a private person.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift

British Dictionary definitions for run-of-the-mill

run-of-the-mill

adjective

ordinary, average, or undistinguished in quality, character, or nature; not special or excellent

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

Cultural definitions for run-of-the-mill

run of the mill

Common, ordinary, average: “His performance in the game was neither exemplary nor disastrous; it was simply run of the mill.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with run-of-the-mill

run of the mill

Ordinary, average, as in There's nothing special about these singers—they're just run of the mill. This expression alludes to fabrics coming directly from a mill without having been sorted or inspected for quality. It has survived such similar phrases as run of the mine and run of the kiln, for the products of mines and kilns. [Late 1800s]

run-of-the-mill

OTHER WORDS FOR run-of-the-mill

Origin of run-of-the-mill

Words related to run-of-the-mill

How to use run-of-the-mill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for run-of-the-mill

Cultural definitions for run-of-the-mill

Other Idioms and Phrases with run-of-the-mill