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

• 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

Gas mileage averages are 20 miles per gallon in city driving, 26 mpg on the freeways, 23 mpg combined. —James Raia, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025

And the gas mileage, not great. —Laura Lane, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025

The two infielders — who each have a lot of baseball mileage on their bodies — will turn 35 that year. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025

The four-time league MVP, a 21-time All-NBA honoree and All-Star, has more mileage on him than anyone in league history. —Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 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