What does "miller" mean?
A person who owns or operates a mill, especially a flourmill.
Miller
/ˈmɪlɚ/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who owns or operates a mill, especially a flourmill.
- Grammar: miller is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: builder, craftsman, family name, grain grinder.
- Useful contrasts: buyer, consumer, given name.
- Usage evidence: Too much water drowned the miller.
How to use "miller"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "miller" 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 "miller" 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 "miller" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "miller" 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 "miller" 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 "builder" 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.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "miller", 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 A person who owns or operates a mill, especially a flourmill.
"Constable's father, a wealthy miller, operated the mill at Flatford, which still stands 1 mile south of the village."
- 2 any of various moths that have powdery wings wordnet
- 3 A milling machine. dated
"Besides the usual run of machines, planers, millers, automatics, centre lathes, cranes, etc., there were several power stations, the rolling mills for strip material and for 60 ft. rails, and all the steel furnaces with their complicated systems of flues. If variety is the spice of life, then there was plenty here."
- 4 machine tool in which metal that is secured to a carriage is fed against rotating cutters that shape it wordnet
- 5 Any of several moths that have powdery wings, especially Acronicta leporina and moths of the genus Agrotis.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 someone who works in a mill (especially a grain mill) wordnet
- 7 A floury-smelling mushroom, Clitopilus prunulus.
- 8 A rat. UK, archaic, slang
Proper Noun
- 1 An English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation for a miller. countable
"Ewan McGregor is back as the lead character, Renton, perhaps best remembered for his visit in the first film to the “Worst Toilet in Scotland.” Robert Carlyle appears as Begbie, who starts brawls with almost anyone who crosses his path; Ewen Bremner returns as the dimwitted Spud, who, in the first movie, has a memorable job interview while high on speed; and Jonny Lee Miller is back as Sick Boy, now known as Simon."
- 2 A male given name transferred from the surname. countable
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Morgan County, Indiana. countable, uncountable
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Hancock County, Iowa. countable, uncountable
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Lyon County, Kansas. countable, uncountable
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Fulton County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Perry County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Clay Township, St. Clair County, Michigan. countable, uncountable
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Lawrence County, Missouri. countable, uncountable
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; A village in Buffalo County, Nebraska. countable, uncountable
- 11 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lawrence County, Ohio. countable, uncountable
- 12 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. countable, uncountable
- 13 A number of places in the United States:; A small city, the county seat of Hand County, South Dakota. countable, uncountable
- 14 A number of places in the United States:; A number of townships in the United States, listed under Miller Township. countable, uncountable
- 15 A neighbourhood in north-east Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. countable, uncountable
- 16 A suburb in the City of Liverpool, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Too much water drowned the miller."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "miller"?
Common synonyms include: builder, craftsman, family name, grain grinder, insect, last name.
How do you use "miller" in a sentence?
Too much water drowned the miller.
How do you pronounce "miller"?
Pronounced /ˈmɪlɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
English surname, capitalization of miller. Doublet of Muller. Also compare Milner, Millward, Müller, Mueller, Mulder, Molenaar, Muenier, Molinaro, Molinero, Molnár, Mlinar, Mlynarczyk.
Etymology 2
From Middle English myllere, mellere, from earlier mylnere, possibly from an Old English *mylnere, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnārī (“miller”), equivalent to mill + -er; cf. also Late Latin molīnārius (“miller”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Muller, Dutch mulder, molenaar, German Low German Möller, German Müller, Müllner, Danish møller, Norwegian Bokmål møller, Norwegian Nynorsk mylnar, møllar, Swedish mjölnare, Icelandic mylnari. Compare also Middle English milward, mulward (“miller”), from Old English mylenweard (“miller”, literally “mill-keeper”) (> English Millward (surname)).