mile

noun

ˈmī(-ə)l 

1

: any of various units of distance: such as

a

: a unit equal to 5280 feet see Weights and Measures Table

b

: nautical mile

2

: a race of a mile

3

: a relatively great distance, degree, or interval

—usually plural

was miles ahead of them in education

—sometimes used adverbially

This one is miles [=much, far] better than that one.

see also:

a mile a minute

Synonyms of mile

• infinity
• long haul

Examples of mile in a Sentence

We passed mile after mile of beautiful scenery as we drove through the country.

We traveled over miles of dirt road.

The car was traveling at 70 miles per hour.

We were miles from home.

We still have miles to go.

The beach stretched on for miles and miles.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the rocket also carried some customer payloads, which were scheduled to be deployed at an altitude of 280 miles (450 kilometers). — Mike Wall, Space.com, 18 July 2026

The smoke has spread hundreds of miles beyond northwestern Ontario, affecting people far from the fire line. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Omid lives about a mile from port facilities that were hit last week. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Maiklem was in her home office in Margate, about seventy miles from London. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English mīl, from Latin milia miles, from milia passuum, literally, thousands of paces, from milia, plural of mille thousand

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mile

• air mile
• a mile a minute
• country mile
• go the extra mile
• last mile
• mile-high club
• nautical mile
• pound mile
• sea mile
• stand/stick out a mile
• statute mile
• three-mile limit

Rhymes for mile

• aisle
• bile
• chyle
• file
• guile
• heil
• isle
• kyle
• pile
• rile
• smile
• stile

Kids Definition

mile

noun

ˈmī(ə)l 

1

: a unit of measure equal to 5280 feet (about 1609 meters)

called also statute mile

see measure

2

: nautical mile