mill.
A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and some are large and complex.)
Meaning & usage
A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and some are large and complex.)
Pepper has a stronger flavor when it is ground straight from a mill.
The building housing such a grinding apparatus; also, any similar building that houses a similarly material activity (such as weaving, fulling, dying, etc.); the place of business comprising such a building and its outbuildings and grounds.
My great-grandfather worked in a mill. He filled the flour sacks and then carried and loaded them.
A machine used for expelling the juice, sap, etc., from vegetable tissues by pressure, or by pressure in combination with a grinding, or cutting process; any similar apparatus that otherwise processes.
a cider mill; a cane mill
A machine for grinding and polishing.
a lapidary mill
A milling machine for machining of solid metal, wood, or plastic.
Several machinists were busy operating the lathes, mills, and drill presses on the shop floor.
A milling cutter used on such a machine.
After the drilling and tapping operations, we come in with a mill and do some contouring.
A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, flooring, and some other kinds of materials.
Once the billet gets through the 56-inch mill, it is ready for reheating.
The building complex housing such a plant; the place of business comprising such buildings and their grounds.
My grandfather worked in a mill. He operated machinery, did maintenance, and drove forklifts.
An establishment that handles a certain type of situation or procedure routinely, or produces large quantities of an item without much regard to quality. (The notion of churning out massive amounts indiscriminately underlies the figurative metaphor.)
Those shysters selling the purebreds are running quite a mill over there, eh?
Getting the book through the editorial mill could take months.
An institution or pseudo-institutional business awarding credentials (such as diplomas, degrees, certificates, or certifications) of either dubious value or fraudulent nature; one selling essays or other documents for the buyers (usually students) to fraudulently pass off as their own.
Those shysters cranking out the "IT training certificates" are running quite a mill over there, eh?
An engine.
Under the hood is a mill that you and I can't afford — a nitrous-blown hemi with custom heads.
A boxing match or fistfight.
They were betting big on a great mill, but they didn't realize that the fix was in.
A hardened steel roller with a design in relief, used for imprinting a reversed copy of the design in a softer metal, such as copper.
An excavation in rock, transverse to the workings, from which material for filling is obtained.
They pulled me off the main crew and had me digging in the mill.
A passage underground through which ore is shot.
The geologists were responsible for keeping the work within the mill.
The raised or ridged edge or surface made in milling anything, such as a coin or screw.
A prison treadmill.
They kept us in line by threatening to put us on the mill twice as long if we complained.
A military prison, either guardhouse or post prison.
He spent some time in the mill after that escapade.
A delousing station: a cootie mill.
A typewriter used to transcribe messages received.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English mylne, mille, from Old English mylen, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu (“mill”), from Late Latin molīna, molīnum, molīnus (“mill”), from Latin molō (“grind, mill”, verb), closely allied to Proto-Germanic *muljaną (“to crush, grind”) (see English millstone). Perhaps cognate with Milne (a surname). Doublet of moline, moulin, and blin.
To grind or otherwise process in a mill or other machine.
to mill flour
To shape, polish, dress or finish using a machine.
To engrave one or more grooves or a pattern around the edge of (a cylindrical object such as a coin).
To move about in an aimless fashion.
I didn't have much to do, so I just milled around the town looking at the shops.
To cause to mill, or circle around.
to mill cattle
To swim underwater.
To swim suddenly in a new direction.
To beat; to pound.
To pass through a fulling mill; to full, as cloth.
To roll (steel, etc.) into bars.
To make (drinking chocolate) frothy, as by churning.
To undergo hulling.
This maize mills well.
To take part in a fistfight; to box.
To fill (a winze or interior incline) with broken ore, to be drawn out at the bottom.
To commit burglary.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English mylne, mille, from Old English mylen, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu (“mill”), from Late Latin molīna, molīnum, molīnus (“mill”), from Latin molō (“grind, mill”, verb), closely allied to Proto-Germanic *muljaną (“to crush, grind”) (see English millstone). Perhaps cognate with Milne (a surname). Doublet of moline, moulin, and blin.
One thousandth part. One thousandth of a US dollar, one-hundredth of a dime or one-tenth of a cent.
The U.S. has never minted a mill coin, but the Coinage Act of 1792 describes this and other subdivisions of the U.S. dollar.
One thousandth part. One thousandth part in millage rates of property tax.
They predict that the rate will probably go up by several mills next year.
One thousandth part. Alternative form of mil (“one thousandth of an inch”).
For this task, I prefer the plastic sheeting that is 10 mills thick.
One thousandth part. Clipping of millimeter.
For this task, I prefer the plastic bars that are 10 mills in diameter.
Where this word comes from
Ultimately from Latin millesimum. The clipping comes by way of the clipped word, millimetre.
A line of three matching pieces in nine men's morris and related games.
To move (a card) from a deck to the discard pile.
To destroy (a card) due to having a full hand.
Where this word comes from
Back-formation from millstone, name of a Magic: The Gathering card with this effect (first printed 1994).
Discarding a card from one's deck.
A strategy centered on depleting the opponent's deck.
Where this word comes from
Back-formation from millstone, name of a Magic: The Gathering card with this effect (first printed 1994).
Alternative form of mil (“million”).
Where this word comes from
Clipping of million.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.