Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: mil, from Latin milia passum 'thousands of paces'

mile

 noun
     
Related topics: Measurement
mile S1 W1 [countable]
1 written abbreviation mTM a unit for measuring distance, equal to 1760 yards or about 1609 metres:
It's forty miles from here to the Polish border.
an area 50 miles wide and 150 miles long
We walked about half a mile.
He was driving at 70 miles per hour.
2

the mile

DSO a race that is a mile in length:
the first man to run the mile in under four minutes
3

miles

informal a very long distance
miles from
We were miles from home, and very tired.
miles away
You can't go to Portsmouth, it's miles away.
for miles
You can see for miles from here.
They lived in a little cottage miles from anywhere (=a long way from the nearest town).
4

go the extra mile

to try a little harder in order to achieve something, after you have already used a lot of effort:
The president expressed his determination to go the extra mile for peace.
5

stick out/stand out a mile

informal to be very easy to see or notice:
It sticks out a mile that you're new here.
6

can see/spot/tell something a mile off

informal if you can see something a mile off, it is very easy to notice:
You can tell a mile off that he likes you.
7

be miles away

spoken to not be paying attention to anything that is happening around you:
'Kate!' 'Sorry, I was miles away!'
8

miles older/better/too difficult etc

British English informal very much older, better, too difficult etc [= loads]:
The second film's miles better.
9

by a mile

informal by a very large amount:
He was the best player on the pitch by a mile.
10

miles out

British English informal a measurement, guess, or calculation that is miles out is completely wrong
11

join the mile high club

informal to have sex in a plane
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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