noun
mile
myl
noun
1
A unit of distance equal to 1,760 yards, or about 1.6 kilometres.
"The nearest shop is about a mile down the road."
"They ran three miles before breakfast."
2
A race run over roughly this distance.
"She holds her school's record in the mile."
3
A great distance, used loosely and figuratively.
"His answer missed the point by a mile."
How to Use Mile
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA standard measure of distance (1,760 yards), or, loosely, "a long way."
Common pairings
miles away
run a mile
miss by a mile
go the extra mile
Word Forms
miles plural, mile plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “mile”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The nearest shop is about a _____ down the road.
Etymology
From Latin mīlle passūs, "a thousand paces," shortened over time to mīlia and then borrowed into Old English as mīl.