miles

M3I1L1E1S1
/maɪlz/

noun

A great distance in space or time.

“His final shot missed the bullseye by miles.”

Very commonScrabble 7

Meanings

miles1

noun
  1. pluralplural of mile
  2. informalA great distance in space or time.

    His final shot missed the bullseye by miles.

    2 more examples

    From the top of the hill you can see for miles.

    No need to hurry. The deadline is miles away.

adverbmiles (not comparable)
  1. informalnot comparablemuch; a lot (used to emphasise a comparative)

    Her new paintings are miles better than her older ones.

    2 more examples

    "Your voice is certainly miles different," admitted Nickle grudgingly and staring very hard. "Look here—do you actually mean to say that you aren't Geoffrey Tilehurst?"

    1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of London

    The recipe was miles too strong.

    1972, Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Knopf, page 129

Miles2

proper nounMiles (countable and uncountable, plural Miles or Mileses)

plural Mileses · alternative Myles

  1. countableuncountableA male given name from an uncertain origin.

    Clad in doublet and hose, and boots of Cordovan leather, / Strode, with a martial air, Miles Standish the Puritan Captain.

    1858, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Courtship of Miles Standish
    1 more example

    Just one thing, if I may, Mark said. It's Miles, his name. Not Milo. Yeah, I know, Anna's always going on about that too. But Milo's better, Milo's got something about it, hasn't it? the man said. It's catchier. It's catching on round the camp, Milo, where Miles sounds a bit, well, wet. A bit middle class, you know?

    2011, Ali Smith, There but for the, Hamish Hamilton, →ISBN, page 191
  2. countableuncountableA surname originating as a patronymic.
  3. A number of places in the United States:
    1. countableuncountableA minor city in Jackson County, Iowa.
    2. countableuncountableA township in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
    3. countableuncountableA minor city in Runnels County, Texas.
    4. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in the town of Porterfield, Marinette County, Wisconsin.
  4. countableuncountableA town in Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia.

Origin

  1. Middle EnglishMiles
  2. EnglishMiles

From Old French given name Milo, of problematic origin, possibly from an unknown Germanic element, or a short form of Slavic names beginning with mil- "grace, favor". The English form is associated by folk etymology with Latin mīles (“soldier”). As a surname, it is also derived from a Middle English Miles form of Michael.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with miles

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

miles. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/miles

MLA

“miles.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/miles. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “miles,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/miles.

Source: miles on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.