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

Some estimates suggest slowing down increases gas mileage as much as 14%. —ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026

Its combined city and highway gas mileage is 13 miles per gallon. —James Raia, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026

According to the county's highway department, their crews were responsible for the mileage equivalent of a drive from Owatonna to Chicago and back. —Conor Wight, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026

Gerber wore a Givenchy number by Sarah Burton that walked the runway less than a week ago at Paris Fashion Week—some of these awards season dresses rack up some serious mileage! —José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 Mar. 2026

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