mile

mile [ maıl ] noun count ***

1. ) a unit for measuring distance, equal to 1,760 YARDS or 1.609 kilometers:

The walk is about ten miles and on level ground.

The town is about forty miles southeast of Budapest.

miles long/deep/high etc.: The peninsula is 13 miles long.

a ) miles to the/per/a gallon the number of miles a vehicle will travel for every gallon of gas:

The car gets 50 miles to the gallon.

b ) miles an/per hour the number of miles a vehicle travels in an hour:

driving at 50 miles an hour

2. ) miles plural a long distance:

They live miles from the nearest town.

for miles: The beach stretched for miles in each direction.

It's one of the best schools for miles around.

miles from anywhere/nowhere (=a long way from a town or other place where people live): We were miles from nowhere with no money or food.

a ) be miles away to be thinking of something else and not paying attention to what you are doing or what someone is saying:

Sorry, I was miles away.

b ) be miles off AMERICAN/out BRITISH INFORMAL to make a guess or calculation that is completely wrong:

When I checked the total I realized I was miles off.

c ) miles better/more difficult/too long etc. INFORMAL a lot better, more difficult, too long, etc.:

He was wearing pants that were miles too long for him.

When I woke up, I felt miles better.

a mile a minute INFORMAL

very quickly:

The two of them were talking a mile a minute.

by a mile

if someone or something wins or is the best by a mile, they are much better than other people or things:

It's still my favorite book by a mile.

It will be the best stadium in Ohio, by a mile.

go the extra mile

to make a special extra effort to achieve something:

We are prepared to go the extra mile to establish peace.

spot/recognize/tell someone/something a mile off INFORMAL

to see or recognize someone or something very easily:

Fiona could spot a phony a mile off and Jennifer was a phony.

stand/stick out a mile INFORMAL

to be very easy to see or recognize:

Gary stood out a mile in his purple hat.

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