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View synonyms for run of the mill

run-of-the-mill

[ruhn-uhv-thuh-mil]

adjective

  1. merely average; commonplace; mediocre.

    just a plain, run-of-the-mill house; a run-of-the-mill performance.



run-of-the-mill

adjective

  1. 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

run of the mill

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of run of the mill1

First recorded in 1925–30
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Idioms and Phrases

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]
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He had been, as Mr. Maisel characterizes the undergraduate Leahy, “the epitome of a run-of-the-mill football player,” but that was the last time he was anything but the driving force behind every group he joined.

But they didn’t want to just make a run-of-the-mill sports show.

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The audience members feel more appreciative, compared to a run-of-the-mill comedy club in Hollywood that caters more to tourists.

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"She was always up for a new challenge. Totally run-of-the-mill for Sarm to just be doing something bonkers," one of her friends Zan tells me.

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Catherine Corless thought it would be a “simple, run-of-the-mill kind of thing” when she began a local history course in 2005.

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run-of-paperrun-of-the-mine