square mile

noun

A unit of area equal to that in a square with 1 mile sides, equivalent to 2.59 km².

Similar
sq misq. mi.mi²sqsq. m.m²sectionCity of London

Meanings

square mile1

nounsquare mile (plural square miles)

plural square miles

  1. A unit of area equal to that in a square with 1 mile sides, equivalent to 2.59 km².
    1 more example

    Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles.

    2013 June 29, “Unspontaneous combustion”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 29

    Synonyms: sq mi, sq. mi., mi², sq, sq. m., m², section

Square Mile2

proper nounthe Square Mile
  1. LondoninformalSynonym of City of London.

    Synonyms: City of London

  2. MontrealSynonym of Golden Square Mile.

    Synonyms: Golden Square Mile

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA unit of area equal to that in a square with 1 mile sides, equivalent to 2.59 km².

Similar
sq misq. mi.mi²sqsq. m.m²section

proper nounSynonym of City of London.

proper nounSynonym of Golden Square Mile.

Origin

From square mile * (London): The City's land area is about 1.12 square miles and roughly square in shape. * (Montreal): Ellipsis of Golden Square Mile. From having a land area of roughly a mile square.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German Quadratmeile
  • Quadratmeileunit of area
Hungarian négyzetmérföld
  • négyzetmérföldunit of area
Icelandic fermíla
  • fermílaunit of area
Malay batu persegi
  • batu persegiunit of area
Polish mila kwadratowa
  • mila kwadratowaunit of area
Russian квадра́тная ми́ля
  • квадра́тная ми́ля (kvadrátnaja mílja)unit of area
Thai ตารางไมล์
  • ตารางไมล์unit of area
Welsh milltir sgwâr
  • milltir sgwârunit of area
Cite this entry
APA

square mile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20mile

MLA

“square mile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20mile. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “square mile,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20mile.

Source: square mile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.