mile

MYL/maɪ̯l/

10 meanings of mile

1
exact distancenouncountable
A unit for measuring distance, equal to 1,760 yards or about 1.6 kilometers.
About as far as you can walk in twenty minutes.
The store is about a mile from my house.
We walked one mile to reach the lake.
UsageSay two miles, but a two-mile walk before a noun.
2
long waynouncolloquialcountable
A long distance, when you do not mean an exact measurement.
Like saying something is 'forever away' when it is just far.
The ball missed the goal by a mile.
He missed the target by a mile.
UsageOften in by a mile: missed by a mile.
3
speednouncolloquialcountable
A speed of one mile traveled in one hour, used when talking about how fast something goes.
Dad got a ticket for driving fifteen miles over the speed limit.
She slowed down when she saw she was going five miles too fast.
Note
4
sea distancenouncountablenauticalaviation
A distance used by ships and planes to find their way, exactly 1,852 meters.
The ship's radar showed a small boat less than a mile ahead.
The small plane was flying at 120 knots, so it covered two miles every minute.
Note
5
flyer pointsnouncountable
A point you earn in an airline reward program, used to get cheaper or free flights.
Like collecting points at a store until you have enough for a free gift.
She saved enough miles for a free flight to visit her family.
You earn one mile for every dollar you spend with the card.
UsageSay earn miles, and use them for a flight.
Similarpoint
Note
6
racenouncountable
A running race that is one mile long.
She won the mile at her school track meet.
He trains hard to run a faster mile each season.
UsageSay run the mile or win the mile.
Note
7
adverb
A lot, used before words like better or faster to make them stronger.
This pizza is miles better than the one we had last week.
Riding my bike to school is miles faster than taking the bus.
Similarfar, much, way
Oppositeslightly, marginally
Note

Less common meanings

8
Roman measurenouncountable
The old Roman mile of 5,000 Roman feet, or any of the old units of distance that came from it.
Roman soldiers placed a stone at every mile along their roads.
The ancient road ran for twenty Roman miles between the two cities.
Note
9
foreign measurenouncountable
A unit of distance from another country's old measuring system, roughly like the English mile.
The Chinese mile was shorter than the English one.
This old map uses the Chinese mile, not the English one.
10
noun
A Scandinavian unit of distance equal to ten kilometers.

Practice

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Origin

From Latin, where it meant a thousand paces. It came into English through Old English mīl.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Mile ultimately derives from a Latin expression meaning a thousand paces. en.wiktionary.org
The word reached modern English through Old English mīl. en.wikipedia.org