mill
/mɪl/ (bre, ipa) · [mˈɪl] /mɪl/ (ame, ipa) · [mˈɪl] /ˈmil/ (ame, mw)
mill — noun
- millsingular
- millsplural
1. a place with machinery that grinds grain to make flour.
a place with machinery that grinds grain to make flour.
A stone mill stood beside the river behind the village church.
common setting: old mill by a river
Every autumn, farmers brought sacks of wheat to the old mill.
The guide showed us how water turned the wheel of the mill.
Smoke rose from the mill before sunrise on market day.
用法筆記
Usually refers to the building or business where grain is ground. Distinguish from sense 2, which names a much smaller tool.
2. a small device that grinds a solid material until it becomes powder.
a small device that grinds a solid material until it becomes powder.
Sana filled the pepper mill before setting the table for dinner.
common collocation: pepper mill
A hand mill sat on the shelf beside the jars of coffee.
The nurse used a small mill to crush the tablets.
Please wipe the spice mill after you grind the sesame seeds.
用法筆記
Often names kitchen tools such as a pepper mill or coffee mill. Distinguish from sense 1, which is a larger place rather than a handheld or tabletop machine.
3. a factory that makes one type of material or product in large amounts.
a factory that makes one type of material or product in large amounts.
Diego's aunt found work at the paper mill outside Kaohsiung.
material name + mill
Trucks lined up at the sugar mill before the harvest festival.
The old steel mill closed after the town lost its last contract.
A new textile mill opened near the port this spring.
用法筆記
Common in compounds naming the material produced there, such as paper mill or steel mill. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about industrial production, not chiefly grinding grain.
mill — verb
- millpresent simple I / you / we / they
- mills3rd person singular
- milling-ing form
- milledpast simple
1. to put grain or another material through a mill so it is ground into flour or po
to put grain or another material through a mill so it is ground into flour or powder.
At dawn, Diego milled the dried corn behind his grandmother's house.
transitive: mill + grain/material
The wheat was milled locally before the bakery opened each morning.
frequently passive: be milled
Femi milled roasted beans into a fine paste for the sauce.
Brown rice mills more easily after several hours of drying.
文法句型
mill + grain/material
be milled
[material] + mills + adverb
用法筆記
Often appears in food or farming contexts, and it can be active, passive, or intransitive. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is about grinding material, not people moving around.
2. to shape metal with a machine, often by cutting lines or patterns into it.
to shape metal with a machine, often by cutting lines or patterns into it.
The factory milled tiny lines around each new coin.
coin-making use: mill lines around an edge
A rotary cutter milled the brass plate into a smooth curve.
Workers milled grooves into the handle so wet hands would not slip.
Before the medal was polished, its edge was milled by machine.
文法句型
mill + metal object
mill grooves into + object
milled edge
用法筆記
Usually takes a metal object as its object, especially coins, plates, edges, or handles. This is a technical manufacturing use, not the crowd-movement sense in sense 3.
3. to stand or walk around with other people in a loose, restless group.
to stand or walk around with other people in a loose, restless group.
Tourists milled around the station after the last train was cancelled.
common pattern: mill around + place
Parents milled about outside the gym before the school doors opened.
variant pattern: mill about
Fans milled around the gate, hoping for one last photo.
Shoppers milled in the square while the rain slowly stopped.
文法句型
mill around
mill about
mill in + place
用法筆記
Usually has a plural human subject and often appears with around or about. Distinguish from sense 1: nothing is being ground here.