put through the mill

verb

to be abused or treated very harshly; to suffer intense anguish, stress, or grief.

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Meanings

verbput through the mill (third-person singular simple present puts through the mill, present participle putting through the mill, simple past and past participle put through the mill)

present singular third person puts through the mill · participle present putting through the mill

  1. figurativelytransitiveto be abused or treated very harshly; to suffer intense anguish, stress, or grief.

Origin

From through the mill.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

put through the mill. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20through%20the%20mill

MLA

“put through the mill.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20through%20the%20mill. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put through the mill,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20through%20the%20mill.

Source: put through the mill on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.