mile

 
Pronunciation: /mʌɪl/

noun

  • 1 (also statute mile) a unit of linear measure equal to 1,760 yards (approximately 1.609 kilometres).
  • a race extending over a mile: he rode the fastest mile of his entire career in 1914
  • historical a Roman measure of 1,000 paces (approximately 1,620 yards).
  • 2 (usually miles) informal a very long way or a very great amount: vistas which stretch for miles this is my favourite film by a mile

adverb

(as submodifier miles) informal
  • by a great amount or a long way: the second tape is miles better

Phrases

be miles away

informal be lost in thought and unaware of what is happening around one: I was thinking about something else - I was miles away

go the extra mile

make a special effort to achieve something: state regulators will go the extra mile to ensure that this settlement is as investor-friendly as possible

a mile a minute

informal very quickly: he talks a mile a minute

miles from anywhere

informal in a very isolated place: it can be lonely, living miles from anywhere

the mile-high club

humorous used in reference to having sex on an aircraft: she joined the mile-high club by making love on a flight between New York and LA

run a mile

informal used with reference to a situation regarded as frightening or alarming: if someone proposed to me I’d probably run a mile

see (or tell or spot) something a mile off

informal recognize something very easily: the baddies can be spotted a mile off

stand (or stick) out a mile

informal be very obvious: his skill stood out a mile

Origin:

Old English mīl, based on Latin mil(l)ia, plural of mille 'thousand' (the original Roman unit of distance was mille passus 'a thousand paces')