run-of-the-mill

American  

[ruhn-uhv-thuh-mil] / ˈrʌn əv ðəˈmɪl /

adjective

1. merely average; commonplace; mediocre.

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

   Synonyms:

   everyday, routine, ordinary

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run-of-the-mill British  

adjective

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

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run of the mill Cultural  

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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run of the mill Idioms  

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of run-of-the-mill

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

“It’s for the most part, a run-of-the-mill Santa Ana event,” National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

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.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

"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.

From BBC • Sep. 13, 2025

Most of these films are tired, run-of-the-mill ocean thrillers that recycle the same beats of better movies that have come before.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2025

But Tyrone and Johnny—they were not your run-of-the-mill eleven-year-olds.

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones

Related Words

• middling
• undistinguished