mill

noun

A grinding apparatus for substances such as grains, seeds, etc. (Some are small and simple, and some are large and complex.)

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.

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 machine for grinding and polishing.

A milling machine for machining of solid metal, wood, or plastic.

A milling cutter used on such a machine.

A manufacturing plant for paper, steel, textiles, flooring, and some other kinds of materials.

The building complex housing such a plant; the place of business comprising such buildings and their grounds.

(figurative, usually derogatory) 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.)

(figurative, derogatory) 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.

(informal) An engine.

(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.

(mining) An excavation in rock, transverse to the workings, from which material for filling is obtained.

(mining) A passage underground through which ore is shot.

The raised or ridged edge or surface made in milling anything, such as a coin or screw.

(US military slang, World War I, World War II) A military prison, either guardhouse or post prison.

(military slang, World War I, World War II) A delousing station: a cootie mill.

(CB radio slang) A typewriter used to transcribe messages received.

One thousandth part.

One thousandth of a US dollar, or one tenth of a cent.

One thousandth part in millage rates of property tax.

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

(collectible card games) Discarding a card from one's deck.

(collectible card games) A strategy centered on depleting the opponent's deck.

John Stuart Mill, English libertarian and utilitarian philosopher.

A surname.

A village in North Brabant, Netherlands.

An unincorporated community in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States.

(informal) Clipping of millimeter.

(informal) Alternative form of mil (“million”). [An angular mil, a unit of angular measurement equal to ¹⁄₆₄₀₀ of a complete circle. At 1000 metres one mil subtends about one metre (0.98 m). Also ¹⁄₆₀₀₀ and ¹⁄₆₃₀₀ are used in other countries.]

(engineering, manufacturing) Alternative form of mil (“one thousandth of an inch”). [An angular mil, a unit of angular measurement equal to ¹⁄₆₄₀₀ of a complete circle. At 1000 metres one mil subtends about one metre (0.98 m). Also ¹⁄₆₀₀₀ and ¹⁄₆₃₀₀ are used in other countries.]

(informal, archaic) A boxing match or fistfight.

(historical) A prison treadmill.

verb

(transitive) To grind or otherwise process in a mill or other machine.

(transitive) To shape, polish, dress or finish using a machine.

(transitive) To engrave one or more grooves or a pattern around the edge of (a cylindrical object such as a coin).

(intransitive, followed by around, about, etc.) To move about in an aimless fashion.

(transitive) To cause to mill, or circle around.

(zoology, of air-breathing creatures) To swim underwater.

(zoology, of a whale) To swim suddenly in a new direction.

(transitive, slang) To beat; to pound.

To pass through a fulling mill; to full, as cloth.

(transitive) To roll (steel, etc.) into bars.

(transitive) To make (drinking chocolate) frothy, as by churning.

(intransitive) To undergo hulling.

(intransitive, slang) To take part in a fistfight; to box.

(transitive, mining) To fill (a winze or interior incline) with broken ore, to be drawn out at the bottom.

(transitive, collectible card games) To move (a card) from a deck to the discard pile.

(transitive, Hearthstone) To destroy (a card) due to having a full hand.

(obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) To commit burglary.

Roots

molamill- · Latin · grind, mill

Synonyms for mill

gristmilln grindern factoryn manufactoryn quernn sawmilln millstonen canneryn foundryn crushern

Synonyms & related words for mill

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of mill — including gristmill, grinder, factory, manufactory, quern, sawmill. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to mill

Explore words related to mill — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include millworks, millstream, millrun, watermill, unmilled, thirlage, grindery, grist. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for mill

Common synonyms for mill include gristmill, grinder, factory, manufactory, quern, sawmill, millstone, cannery — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does mill come from?

The word mill breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root mill-, from Latin mola (“grind, mill”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.