mileage

noun

mile·​age ˈmī-lij 

1

: an allowance for traveling expenses at a certain rate per mile

2

: aggregate length or distance in miles: such as

a

: the total miles traveled especially in a given period of time

b

: the amount of service that something will yield especially as expressed in terms of miles of travel

c

: the average number of miles a motor vehicle will travel on a gallon of gasoline that is used as a measure of fuel economy

gets good mileage

3

a

: usefulness

got a lot of mileage left in it

b

: benefit derived from something

got good political mileage from the debates

Synonyms of mileage

• use
• usefulness
• avail
• utility

Examples of mileage in a Sentence

a car with high mileage

My new car gets much better mileage than my old one did.

The company has gotten a lot of mileage out of a simple idea.

The movie gets a lot of mileage out of an old story.

Recent Examples on the Web

Your mileage will vary on whether that lineup will one day survive October pitching. —Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

Forget frequent flier mileage, Albert’s putting up NASA-grade numbers. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2025

Lower mileage and lack of maintenance and service networks also help explain why American brands except for Jeep have struggled in Japan. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025

While monthly payments tend to be lower, leases come with mileage limits — usually 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year — and may include fees for excess wear or mileage. —Mike Winters, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mileage

• mileage allowance

Rhymes for mileage

• silage

Kids Definition

mileage

noun

mile·​age ˈmī-lij 

1

: an allowance for traveling expenses at a certain rate per mile

2

: distance or distance covered in miles

3

: the number of miles that something (as a tire) will travel before wearing out

4

: the average number of miles a vehicle will travel on a gallon of gasoline