Word.ws English Dictionary

mill

/mɪl/UK[mɪɫ]

mill noun: a grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and some are large and complex.). Also the alternative form of mil.

mill: a grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and...
Image: Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun (1)

mill (plural mills)

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
    • […] for the Townsfolk will go to thy mill, and grind their corn […] at their own good pleasure; nor can I hinder them, since they are free men.1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, chapter XV, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book II (The Ancient Monk), page 112
  3. 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
  4. A machine for grinding and polishing.
    • a lapidary mill
  5. 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.
  6. A milling cutter used on such a machine.
    • After the drilling and tapping operations, we come in with a mill and do some contouring.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
    Synonyms:
    factory, works
  9. (derogatory, figuratively, usually) 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.
  10. (derogatory, figuratively) 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?
  11. (informal) An engine.
    • Under the hood is a mill that you and I can't afford — a nitrous-blown hemi with custom heads.
  12. (archaic, informal) A boxing match or fistfight.
    • They were betting big on a great mill, but they didn't realize that the fix was in.
    • […] he is relieved from present responsibility to the Chicken, by the absence of that game head of poultry in the country, training (at Toots's cost) for his great mill with the Larkey Boy.1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC
Show 8 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (die sinking) 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.
  2. 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.
  3. A passage underground through which ore is shot.
    • Near-synonym: country
    • The geologists were responsible for keeping the work within the mill.
    Synonyms:
    country
  4. The raised or ridged edge or surface made in milling anything, such as a coin or screw.
    Synonyms:
    milling
  5. (historical) A prison treadmill.
    • They kept us in line by threatening to put us on the mill twice as long if we complained.
    • Next morning they put me on the treadmill along with the others: At first, not knowing how to dance it, I cut all my shin with the steps; they did not flog me then — […] They keep on putting her on the mill for a week, and flog her every time […]1837, James Williams, A Narrative of Events Since the First of August, 1834, page 9
  6. (US, World-War-I, slang, World War II) A military prison, either guardhouse or post prison.
    • He spent some time in the mill after that escapade.
  7. (World-War-I, slang, World War II) A delousing station: a cootie mill.
  8. (CB radio slang) A typewriter used to transcribe messages received.
    • In other words, get a mill in your operating position by hook or crook and use it regularly. At the N.C.R. Radio Schools touch typing is taught at the same time code proficiency is advanced.1941, QST, volume 25, numbers 2–6, page 90
    • You can read it all right, but the pencil seems to be getting a little sluggish — better make a grab for a "mill."1986, Ham Radio Magazine, volume 19, page 66

Verb (1)

mill (third-person singular simple present mills, present participle milling, simple past and past participle milled)

  1. (transitive) To grind or otherwise process in a mill or other machine.
    • to mill flour
  2. (transitive) To shape, polish, dress or finish using a machine.
  3. (transitive) To engrave one or more grooves or a pattern around the edge of (a cylindrical object such as a coin).
  4. (intransitive, usually, about) 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.
    • The deer and the pig and the nilghai were milling round and round in a circle of eight or ten miles radius, while the Eaters of Flesh skirmished round its edge.1895 November, Rudyard Kipling, The Second Jungle Book, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    roam, wander
  5. (transitive) To cause to mill, or circle around.
    • to mill cattle
  6. To swim underwater.
  7. To swim suddenly in a new direction.
  8. (slang, transitive) To beat; to pound.
    • Ortheris said nothing for a while. Then he unslung his belt, heavy with the badges of half a dozen regiments that his own had lain with, and handed it over to Mulvaney.
      "I'm too little for to mill you, Mulvaney," said he, "an' you've strook me before; but you can take an' cut me in two with this...1888, Rudyard Kipling, The Madness of Private Ortheris
    • […]he had “milled” a policeman1861 January – 1862 August, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Adventures of Philip on His Way through the World; […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder and Co., […]...
  9. To pass through a fulling mill; to full, as cloth.
  10. (transitive) To roll (steel, etc.) into bars.
  11. (transitive) To make (drinking chocolate) frothy, as by churning.
  12. (intransitive) To undergo hulling.
    • This maize mills well.
Show 3 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (intransitive, slang) To take part in a fistfight; to box.
  2. (transitive) To fill (a winze or interior incline) with broken ore, to be drawn out at the bottom.
  3. (UK, obsolete, thieves' cant) To commit burglary.
    • Ben mort, shall you and I heave a bough, mill a ken, or nip a bung, and then we'll couch a hogshead under the ruffmans, and there you shall wap with me, and I'll niggle with you.1611, Thomas Middleton, “The Roaring Girl”, in Arthur Henry Bullen, editor, The Works of Thomas Middleton, volume 4, published 1885, act 5, scene 1, pages 128–129
    • And why not?—You would think little of peaching and hanging him for this Scotch affair.—Rat me, one might have milled the Bank of England, and less noise about it.1818, Walter Scott, chapter 6, in The Heart of Midlothian

Noun (2)

mill (plural mills)

  1. One thousandth of a US dollar, one-hundredth of a dime or one-tenth of a cent.
    • Holonyms: cent < dollar
    • 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.
    Synonyms:
    millesimal
  2. One thousandth part in millage rates of property tax.
    • They predict that the rate will probably go up by several mills next year.
    Synonyms:
    millesimal

Noun (3)

mill (plural mills)

  1. A line of three matching pieces in nine men's morris and related games.

Verb (2)

mill (third-person singular simple present mills, present participle milling, simple past and past participle milled)

  1. (transitive, collectible card games) To move (a card) from a deck to the discard pile.
  2. (transitive, Hearthstone) To destroy (a card) due to having a full hand.
    • what happens when a Quest Rogue uses Vanish and Malygos gets milled?2018 October 9, Ozzie Mejia, “Hearthstone: 4 decks to watch during the 2018 HCT Fall Championship”, in Shacknews
    Synonyms:
    burn

Noun (4)

mill (countable and uncountable, plural mills)

  1. (collectible card games) Discarding a card from one's deck.
    • he’s had some fairly infamous mills in other events. Back in 2017’s Spring Championships, he burned the crucial Archmage Antonidas2018 October 14, Jay Castello, “Pro Hearthstone player burns key card with perfect comedic timing”, in Rock Paper Shotgun
  2. (collectible card games) A strategy centered on depleting the opponent's deck.
    • Kingsane ^([sic – meaning Kingsbane]) Rogue will forever have a negative connotation attached to it because it began as a mill deck, and mill is one of the most tilt-inducing strategies in fantasy card games.2018 June 16, Wavelength, “Efficient Off-Meta Decks Spotlight”, in Fade2Karma, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2021
    • Great for mill, control, or even Voltron decks, Mnemonic Betrayal is a fantastic addition regardless of your strategy.2018 September 24, Collin MacGregor, “Top 10 Guilds of Ravnica Commander Cards in Magic The Gathering”, in heavy.

Proper noun capitalized: Mill

Mill

  1. A surname.
  2. John Stuart Mill, English libertarian and utilitarian philosopher.
    • I have endeavoured to acquire a knowledge of the Hare system, and I have read Mill upon the subject, and it seems to me that the present proposal is opposed to that system.1881 June 28, William Montgomery, speech in the New Zealand House of Representatives, seventh Parliament, third session, transcribed in, 1881, Parliamentary Debates, volume 28, page 225...
  3. A village in North Brabant, Netherlands.
  4. An unincorporated community in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States.

Also used as

mill is also the alternative form of mil.

mill is also the clipping of millimeter.

mill meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

mill in Hindi

grinding apparatus
चक्की cakkī
building housing a grinding apparatus
चक्की cakkī
manufacturing plant
मिल mil, कारख़ाना kārxānā

mill in Tamil

மில்லு

mill in Marathi

grinding apparatus
चक्की cakkī, गिरणी girṇī
building housing a grinding apparatus
गिरणी girṇī
grind or process using a mill or other machine
दळणे daḷṇe

mill in Urdu

grinding apparatus
چَکّی cakkī
More languagesFewer languages
mill in Bengali
জাঁতা jãta
mill in Telugu
గానుగ gānuga
mill in Malayalam
മില്ല്, മിൽ, മിൽ ചെയ്യാൻ
mill in Kannada
ಗಿರಣಿ, ಮಿಲ್ಲು, ಮಿಲ್
mill in Punjabi
ਮਿੱਲ, ਮਿੱਲ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ
mill in Gujarati
મિલ
mill in Odia
ମିଲ୍, ମିଲ
mill in Nepali
मिल
mill in Pashto
ژرنده žranda
mill in Arabic
مَطْحَنَة maṭḥana, رحى rḥā, طاحونة ṭāḥūna, طَحَن ṭaḥan
mill in Malay
kilang
mill in Indonesian
kincir, pabrik
mill in Persian
آسِیاب âsiyâb, آس âs
mill in Thai
โรงสี roong-sǐi
mill in Vietnamese
cối xay

Examples of mill in a sentence

  • On Sept. 9 a boiler exploded in Hanke's flouring mill, […]1880 January 1, The Locomotive, volume 1, number 1, Hartford, Conn.: The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection And Insurance Company, page 9:
  • Under the reorganization the branch mill was designated as Dah Sun Mill No. 2.1965, Samuel C. Chu, Reformer in Mondern China Chang Chien, 1853-1926, Columbia University Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 31:
  • That first batch of yarn set the pattern for Knudsen Knits: Farah seeks out local wool growers, selects fleeces, and works with small local mills to produce yarn.2026, Sandi Rosner, “Knudsen Knits: Sourcing & Milling Local Heritage-Breed Wool”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 39:
  • The mill lasted four rounds, when giddy little Ettie was declared the victress.1902 October 1, The Sydney Sportsman, page 5, column 6:

All 40 example sentences with mill

Synonyms of mill

All synonyms of mill

Forms of mill

Noun
pluralmills
pluralmill
alternative form (obsolete)miln
Verb
third-person singular presentmills
present participlemilling
past participlemilled
pastmilled
alternative formMill

Past tense of mill: milled

Plural of mill: mills

Origin of mill

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.

Ultimately from Latin millesimum. The clipping comes by way of the clipped word, millimetre.

Clipping of million.

Words formed from mill

  • Algoma Mills
  • Allan Mills
  • Anten Mills
  • Armstrong Mills
  • Ashby Mills
  • Balmoral Mills
  • Batemans Mills
  • Bay du Vin Mills
  • Bellamys Mill
  • Bells Mills
  • Berry Mills
  • Birge Mills
  • Brewers Mills
  • Cails Mills
  • Caledonia Mills
  • Camerons Mill
  • Cedar Mills
  • Coates Mills
  • Conns Mills
  • Conquerall Mills
  • Cooks Mills
  • Dalhousie Mills
  • Davis Mill
  • Davis Mills
  • Dawn Mills
  • Densmore Mills
  • Don Mills
  • Eden Mills
  • Edys Mills
  • Erin Mills
  • Feir Mill
  • Fords Mills
  • Fowlies Mill
  • Frasers Mills
  • German Mills
  • Goodwin Mill
  • Grays Mills
  • Grey Mills
  • Halls Mills
  • Hampshire Mills
  • Harmony Mills
  • Harrison Mills
  • Hempstock Mill
  • Herron's Mills
  • Horning's Mills
  • Imperial Mills
  • Jewetts Mills
  • Killams Mills
  • La Rue Mills
  • Links Mills
  • Liscomb Mills
  • Lockharts Mill
  • Longford Mills
  • Lords Mills
  • Lueck Mill
  • MacIntosh Mill
  • Mavis Mills
  • McKees Mills
  • McPhersons Mills
  • Mill Cove

Phrases with mill

159 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with mill

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about mill

What does mill mean?
Mill means a grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and some are large and complex.).
What is mill in Hindi?
Mill in Hindi is चक्की (cakkī), मिल (mil), कारख़ाना (kārxānā). See Mill meaning in Hindi.
How do you use mill in a sentence?
On Sept. 9 a boiler exploded in Hanke's flouring mill, […]
What part of speech is mill?
Mill can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce mill?
Mill is pronounced /mɪl/.
What is the plural of mill?
The plural of mill is mills.

Words near mill in the dictionary

  1. milky-dashel
  2. Milky-Way
  3. Milky-Way Galaxy
  4. milky-white
  5. Milkyway
  6. mill
  7. mill about
  8. mill around
  9. mill bar
  10. mill bars
  11. mill car

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: mill (page history and authors); Mill (page history and authors); mill (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); mill (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); mill (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); mill (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); mill (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); mill (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); mill (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-mill.ogg.

Cite this entry: “mill.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/mill. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.