miles

miles — noun

1. a unit for measuring distance on land, equal to 1,760 yards (about 1,609 metres)

1.nounA2
Definition

a unit for measuring distance on land, equal to 1,760 yards (about 1,609 metres); it is the standard way of saying how far apart places are or how far someone travels, used mainly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and a few other countries.

Example

After his car broke down on the highway, Mateo walked three miles to the nearest gas station.

number + miles + from [place]

Ritu walks two miles to school every morning.

Common collocations
  • square miles
  • miles per hour
  • miles long
  • miles wide
  • miles from

Grammar Patterns

number + mile(s)

mile(s) + [preposition/noun]

Usage Note

In the singular form 'mile' this sense is used with 'a' or 'one' ('a mile away', 'half a mile'). The plural 'miles' is used for any other quantity.

Common Mistakes

The hotel is three kilos from the station.
The hotel is about two miles from the station.
miles are the common unit for distance in the US and UK; 'kilos' (kilometres) is the metric equivalent used elsewhere.

2. a very long distance, a great gap, or a large difference between two things; use

2.nounB1
Definition

a very long distance, a great gap, or a large difference between two things; used either literally for physical space or figuratively to emphasise how much better, bigger, or more extreme something is compared to something else.

Example

Tamar could hear the music playing from miles away.

from miles away

There were miles of empty golden sand along the coast.

Common collocations
  • miles away
  • miles apart
  • miles from
  • for miles
  • miles better
  • miles ahead
Synonyms
  • far

    more general and less emphatic than 'miles'; does not quantify the gap

  • a long way

    conversational and common in everyday speech; less vivid than 'miles'

  • light-years ahead

    more dramatic and informal; implies technological or conceptual superiority

Antonyms
  • near

    close in distance or agreement

  • close

    small in difference or gap

Grammar Patterns

for miles

miles away

miles from

miles apart

miles + comparative adjective

Usage Note

In the figurative sense ('miles better', 'miles apart') this is always plural 'miles' and functions like an intensifying adverb. Distinguish from sense 1, which refers to a specific measured distance — if you can replace 'miles' with 'kilometres' and the sentence still works, it is sense 1; if not, it is sense 2.

Common Mistakes

The new design is mile better than the old one.
The new design is miles better than the old one.
the figurative intensifier always uses the plural form 'miles', never 'mile'.

3. a running race that covers exactly one mile (about 1,609 metres); a standard tra

3.nounB1
Definition

a running race that covers exactly one mile (about 1,609 metres); a standard track event in athletics competitions at schools, colleges, and international meets such as the Olympics.

Example

Mauricio finished the mile race in just under five minutes.

finish + the mile race + in [time]

Every afternoon, Coach Rivera led the track team through mile practice on the old cinder track.

Common collocations
  • run the mile
  • win the mile
  • the mile race
  • mile runner
  • mile record

Grammar Patterns

the mile

mile race

run + the mile

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used with the definite article: 'the mile'. Unlike other race distances (e.g. 'the 100 metres'), the article is essential — 'He ran mile' is incorrect.

Common Mistakes

She ran mile at the competition.
She ran the mile at the competition.
the definite article 'the' is required before 'mile' when referring to the race.

4. a unit of distance used in sea and air navigation, equal to 1,852 metres; it is

4.nounB2
Definition

a unit of distance used in sea and air navigation, equal to 1,852 metres; it is defined as one minute of latitude and is the standard for plotting routes across oceans and through the sky.

Example

The captain reported that the cargo ship was twenty nautical miles from the nearest port.

number + nautical miles + from [place]

The ferry captain told the passengers they were only twelve nautical miles from the harbour.

Common collocations
  • nautical miles from
  • nautical miles off
  • nautical miles per hour
Synonyms
  • sea mile

    less precise informal equivalent; 'nautical mile' is the standard technical term

Grammar Patterns

nautical mile(s)

number + nautical mile(s)

Usage Note

Always use the full phrase 'nautical mile' in writing to avoid confusion with the standard (statute) mile. In speech, pilots and sailors often just say 'mile' when the context is clear.

Idioms

miles better / bigger / faster / etc.

idiom

a fixed intensifier placed directly before a comparative adjective (for example, 'better', 'bigger', 'faster') to stress that something is very much more so; unlike ordinary uses of 'miles', this phrase functions like an adverb and must stay next to the adjective it modifies — it cannot stand alone.

This year's school play was miles better than last year's show.

Quan's new apartment is miles bigger than his tiny old room.

for miles

idiom

a set prepositional phrase used after verbs like 'see', 'walk', 'drive', or 'hear' to describe an uninterrupted stretch of land, sea, or sky; it emphasises the continuous expanse rather than a specific destination or measured distance, and always follows a verb of movement or perception.

From the top of the hill, you can see for miles across the valley.

We drove for miles without seeing another car on the road.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four expressions describe great physical or figurative distance, but they differ in emphasis and usage. 'Far' is the most general and neutral term — you can ask 'How far is it?' but not 'How miles is it?' 'A long way' is conversational and works in everyday speech: 'The airport is a long way from here.' 'Miles' adds vivid emphasis and is best for dramatic contrasts: 'Their house is miles from the nearest shop' sounds much stronger than 'Their house is far from the nearest shop.' 'Distant' and 'far-off' are more formal or literary and are rarely used in casual conversation — you might read about a 'distant land' in a novel or hear a travel guide describe a 'far-off island.' In figurative use, only 'miles' and 'far' work naturally as intensifiers: 'miles better' and 'far better' are both common, but 'a long way better' and 'distant better' are not.

far ↗a long way ↗distant ↗far-off ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • for miles
  • miles away
  • miles from
  • within miles
  • miles per hour
  • square miles

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'mile' comes from the Latin 'mille passus', meaning 'a thousand paces'. A Roman soldier's pace was counted as two steps, so one Roman mile was roughly 1,000 double-paces — about 1,480 metres. The term passed into Old English as 'mil' from West Germanic, and by the late medieval period the mile had been standardised in England to 5,280 feet, which is the modern statute mile used today. The nautical mile developed separately based on the length of one minute of latitude.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1