What does "mile" mean?
The international mile: a unit of length precisely equal to 1.609344 kilometers established by treaty among Anglophone nations in 1959, divided into 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards.
Mile
name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·1 syllable ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The international mile: a unit of length precisely equal to 1.609344 kilometers established by treaty among Anglophone nations in 1959, divided into 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards.
- Grammar: mile is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: admiralty mile, air mile, distance unit, exaggerated.
- Useful contrasts: brief, kilometers, kilometre.
- Usage evidence: The school stands about one mile off.
How to use "mile"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mile" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mile" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mile" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mile" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mile" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "admiralty mile" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mile", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The international mile: a unit of length precisely equal to 1.609344 kilometers established by treaty among Anglophone nations in 1959, divided into 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards.
"Turn left in 1.2 miles."
- 2 a footrace extending one mile wordnet
- 3 Any of several customary units of length derived from the 1593 English statute mile of 8 furlongs, equivalent to 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards of various precise values.
"Athelstan Arundel walked home all the way, foaming and raging. No omnibus, cab, or conveyance ever built could contain a young man in such a rage. His mother lived at Pembridge Square, which is four good measured miles from Lincoln's Inn."
- 4 a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters wordnet
- 5 Any of many customary units of length derived from the Roman mile (mille passus) of 8 stades or 5,000 Roman feet.
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 a Swedish unit of length equivalent to 10 km wordnet
- 7 The Scandinavian mile: a unit of length precisely equal to 10 kilometers defined in 1889.
- 8 an ancient Roman unit of length equivalent to 1620 yards wordnet
- 9 Any of many customary units of length from other measurement systems of roughly similar values, as the Chinese mile or Arabic mile.
- 10 a unit of length used in navigation; exactly 1,852 meters; historically based on the distance spanned by one minute of arc in latitude wordnet
- 11 An airline mile in a frequent flyer program.
- 12 a former British unit of length equivalent to 6,080 feet (1,853.184 meters); 800 feet longer than a statute mile wordnet
- 13 Any similarly large distance. informal
"The shot missed by a mile."
- 14 a former British unit of length once used in navigation; equivalent to 6,000 feet (1828.8 meters) wordnet
- 15 A race of 1 mile's length; a race of around 1 mile's length (usually 1500 or 1600 meters)
"The runners competed in the mile."
- 16 a large distance wordnet
- 17 One mile per hour, as a measure of speed. colloquial
"five miles over the speed limit"
Proper Noun
- 1 A transliteration of the Macedonian male given name Миле (Mile)
- 2 A county-level city of Honghe prefecture, Yunnan, China.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The school stands about one mile off."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mile"?
Common synonyms include: admiralty mile, air mile, distance unit, exaggerated, extensive, extent.
How do you use "mile" in a sentence?
The school stands about one mile off.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English myle, mile, from Old English mīl, from Proto-West Germanic *mīliju, a borrowing of Latin mīlia, mīllia, plural of mīle, mīlle (“mile”) (literally ‘thousand’ but used as a short form of mīlle passūs (“a thousand paces”)).
Etymology 2
From Macedonian Ми́ле (Míle).
Etymology 3
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 彌勒 /弥勒 (Mílè).