square mile

American  

[skwair mahyl] / ˈskwɛər ˈmaɪl /

noun

1. a unit of area measurement equal to a square measuring one mile on each side; equivalent to 2.59 square kilometers. mi 2 , sq. mi.

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Etymology

Origin of square mile

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

It regulated fixed smog sources, mostly businesses, across nearly 11,000 square miles, sometimes against muscular industry resistance, and sometimes losing.

From Los Angeles Times

Amazon says it aims ultimately to have 200 rural delivery hubs serving around 13,000 ZIP Codes covering around 1.2 million square miles of America—an area the size of Texas, California and Alaska combined.

From The Wall Street Journal

As water levels in the lake have dropped, around 800 square miles of exposed lakebed have become a growing source of dust pollution affecting nearby communities.

From Science Daily

At about 8 square miles, Kharg Island is roughly a third the size of Manhattan.

From The Wall Street Journal

But "never did we anticipate or expect them, I think, to be able to hold in their brains, which aren't much bigger than your thumb, information over thousands of square miles," he said.

From Barron's