square mile

American  

[skwair mahyl] / ˈskwɛər ˈmaɪl /

noun

• square miles
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• square miles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of square mile

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

square mile

Using data from Europe's Sentinel-1 radar satellites, the scientists monitored seasonal changes on nearly every Alaska glacier larger than about half a square mile between mid-2016 and 2024.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

Today, Hood County has the sixth most planned data centers among Texas counties; per square mile, it ranks third.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026

President Thomas Jefferson acquired the 828,000-square-mile Louisiana Purchase in 1803 for $15 million, or about $18 per square mile.

From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026

It essentially entails trying to locate one square mile of activity in a 1,000-square-mile search area, Hunnicutt said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2025

There were crowds everywhere, thousands of people in a square mile of desert scoured to dust by army bulldozers, and there was nowhere for a person to find solitude.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson