Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense mills, present participle milling, past tense, past participle milled
1. countable noun
A mill is a building in which grain is crushed to make flour.
2. countable noun
A mill is a small device used for grinding something such as coffee beans or pepper into powder.
...a pepper mill.
Synonyms: grinder, crusher, quern More Synonyms of mill
3. countable noun
A mill is a factory used for making and processing materials such as steel, wool, or cotton.
...a steel mill.
...a textile mill.
Synonyms: factory, works, shop, plant More Synonyms of mill
4. verb
To mill something such as wheat or pepper means to grind it in a mill.
They mill 1000 tonnes of flour a day in every Australian state. [VERB noun]
...freshly milled black pepper. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: grind, pound, press, crush More Synonyms of mill
5. See also milling, rolling mill, run-of-the-mill, watermill
6. grist to the mill
Phrasal verbs:
See mill around
mill in British English1
(mɪl)
noun
1.
a building in which grain is crushed and ground to make flour
2.
a factory, esp one which processes raw materials
a steel mill
3.
any of various processing or manufacturing machines, esp one that grinds, presses, or rolls
4.
any of various small hand mills used for grinding pepper, salt, or coffee for domestic purposes
See also coffee mill, pepper mill
5.
a hard roller for impressing a design, esp in a textile-printing machine or in a machine for printing banknotes
6.
a system, institution, etc, that influences people or things in the manner of a factory
going through the educational mill
7.
an unpleasant experience; ordeal (esp in the phrases goorbe put through the mill)
8.
a fist fight
9. run of the mill
verb
10. (transitive)
to grind, press, or pulverize in or as if in a mill
11. (transitive)
to process or produce in or with a mill
12.
to cut or roll (metal) with or as if with a milling machine
13. (transitive)
to groove or flute the edge of (a coin)
14. (intr; often foll by about or around)
to move about in a confused manner
15. (usually tr) rare
to beat (chocolate, etc)
16. archaic, slang
to fight, esp with the fists
Derived forms
millable (ˈmillable)
adjective
Word origin
Old English mylen from Late Latin molīna a mill, from Latin mola mill, millstone, from molere to grind
mill in British English2
(mɪl)
noun
a US and Canadian monetary unit used in calculations, esp for property taxes, equal to one thousandth of a dollar
Word origin
C18: short for Latin mīllēsimum a thousandth (part)
Mill in British English
(mɪl)
noun
1.
James. 1773–1836, Scottish philosopher, historian, and economist. He expounded Bentham's utilitarian philosophy in Elements of Political Economy (1821) and Analysis of the Phenomena of the Human Mind (1829) and also wrote a History of British India (1817–18)
2.
his son, John Stuart. 1806–73, English philosopher and economist. He modified Bentham's utilitarian philosophy in Utilitarianism (1861) and in his treatise On Liberty (1859) he defended the rights and freedom of the individual. Other works include A System of Logic (1843) and Principles of Political Economy (1848)
John Stuart1806-73; Eng. philosopher & economist: son of James
mill in American English1
(mɪl)
noun
1.
a.
a building with machinery for grinding grain into flour or meal
b.
the machine for grinding grain
2.
a.
a machine for grinding or pulverizing any solid material
a coffee mill
b.
a machine for grinding or crushing fruits or vegetables to press out the juice
a cider mill
3.
a.
any of various machines for stamping, shaping, polishing, or dressing metal surfaces, coins, etc., or for making something by some action done again andagain
b. US, Informal
an organization, establishment, etc. where things are done, produced, issued, etc. in a routine, rapid, mechanical way
a diploma mill, a divorce mill
4.
a building or group of buildings with machinery for manufacturing or processing something;factory
a textile mill
5.
a roller of hardened steel with a raised design on it, for making a die or printing plate by pressure
6.
a.
milling cutter
b.
milling machine
7.
a raised edge, ridged surface, etc. made by milling
verb transitive
8.
to grind, work, process, form, polish, etc. by, in, or as in a mill
9.
to raise and ridge the edge of (a coin), as a safeguard against wear and clipping; knurl
10. Rare
to beat or whip (chocolate, etc.) to a froth
verb intransitive
11. US
to move slowly in a circle, as cattle, or aimlessly, as a confused crowd
often with around or about
Idioms:
in the mill
through the mill
Word origin
ME melle < OE mylen, akin to OHG mulin, ON mylna, all < 4th-c. Gmc borrowing < LL molinae, pl. of molina, mill < LL(Ec) molina, of a mill < L mola, millstone < IE base *mel-, to grind, crush > meal2, mild, Ger mahlen, Gr mylē, mill, L mollis, soft, molere, to grind
mill in American English2
(mɪl)
US
noun
one tenth of a cent: $.001: a monetary unit used in calculating but not as a coin
Word origin
for L millesimus, thousandth < mille, thousand: cf. cent1
mill in American English3
(mɪl)
noun
Slang
mil2
mill in Mechanical Engineering
(mɪl)
Word forms: (regular plural) mills
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Manufacturing and assembly)
A mill is a machine in which material is ground or crushed into a powder or into very smallpieces.
What is the most economical mill for grinding silica rocks into powder?
The raw ceramic is then crushed in a grinding mill to provide a powder for reinforcing the metal.
A mill is a machine in which material is ground or crushed into a powder or into very smallpieces.
More idioms containing
mill
grist for the mill
go through the mill
Examples of 'mill' in a sentence
mill
The jump was unexpected because steel mills have curbed production to cope with oversupply and reduced output in preparation for the winter months.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Bit by bit the German bureaucratic mill is grinding down the problems and finding solutions.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Given that she keeps chickens as well, all she needs in her garden is a flour mill and this could become a homegrown pudding.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Chinese steel mills have been struggling with a vicious price squeeze for months.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
People are milling about drinking coffee or crouched over laptops.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The switch appears to have set the rumour mill running.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Add a few grinds of the pepper mill and blitz until you have a very smooth paste.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He avoided losing the flour mill only by borrowing money from friends.
Garraty, John Arthur The American Nation: A History of the United States to 1877 (1995)
The sportsmen and women milling about in tracksuits or uncomfortable looking suits have a variety of motivations.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
And which other celebrity would spend the spoils on a milling machine to make brackets?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It also means that the gossip mill has gone global.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The troubled chiefs are linked by more than both being put through the mill in recent weeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Finally one mill owner rang her back.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
My grandmother worked in one of the cotton mills.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The rock is then crushed and goes through a long process at the mill to get the gold out.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The steel mill is barely operational.
The Sun (2015)
Who says a pepper mill can't be pink?
The Sun (2013)
The 10 flats and two townhouses were built within the walls of a former flour mill.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Meanwhile, it is the easiest procedure in the world to grind your own in an electric coffee mill.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Inside the mill's rumbling buildings, the lives of workers and their union representatives have changed irrevocably.
A Conceptual View of Human Resource Management: Strategic Objectives, Environments,Functions
For the fish, empty the tea from bags into a spice mill; process to a fine powder.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
mill
British English: mill /mɪl/ NOUN
A mill is a building where grain is crushed to make flour.
The old mill is now a restaurant.
American English: mill
Arabic: طَاحُوُنَةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: moinho
Chinese: 磨坊
Croatian: mlin
Czech: mlýn
Danish: mølle
Dutch: molen
European Spanish: molino
Finnish: mylly
French: moulin
German: Mühle
Greek: μύλος
Italian: mulino
Japanese: 製粉所
Korean: 방앗간
Norwegian: mølle
Polish: młyn
European Portuguese: moinho
Romanian: moară
Russian: мельница
Latin American Spanish: molino
Swedish: kvarn
Thai: โรงสี
Turkish: değirmen
Ukrainian: млин
Vietnamese: xưởng xay bột
British English: mill VERB
To mill something such as wheat or pepper means to grind it in a mill.
They do not have the capacity to mill the grain.
American English: mill
Brazilian Portuguese: moer
Chinese: 碾磨
European Spanish: moler
French: moudre
German: mahlen
Italian: macinare
Japanese: 製粉する
Korean: 제분하다
European Portuguese: moer
Latin American Spanish: moler
Chinese translation of 'mill'
mill
(mɪl)
n(c)
(for grain) 磨坊 (mòfáng) (个(個), gè)
(for coffee, pepper) 碾磨器 (niǎnmòqì) (个(個), gè)
(= factory) 厂(廠) (chǎng)
vt
(= grind)[grain, flour]磨 (mò)
1 (noun)
Definition
a small device for grinding solids
a pepper mill
Synonyms
grinder
crusher
quern
2 (noun)
Definition
a factory, esp. one which processes raw materials
a textile mill
Synonyms
factory
He owned furniture factories in New York.
works
shop
plant
The plant provides forty per cent of the country's electricity.
workshop
a small workshop for repairing secondhand motorcycles
foundry
(verb)
Definition
to grind, press, or process in or as if in a mill
freshly milled black pepper
Synonyms
grind
Grind the pepper in a pepper mill.
pound
She paused as she pounded the maize grains.
press
The grapes are hand-picked and pressed.
crush
Their vehicle was crushed by an army tank.
powder
Mix all the powdered ingredients together.
grate
His chair grated as he got to his feet.
pulverize
Pulverize the bran to a fine powder.
granulate
comminute
phrasal verb
See mill about or around
idiom
See run of the mill
Additional synonyms
in the sense of crush
Definition
to break or grind into small pieces
Their vehicle was crushed by an army tank.
Synonyms
squash,
pound,
break,
smash,
squeeze,
crumble,
crunch,
mash,
compress,
press,
crumple,
pulverize,
comminute
in the sense of granulate
Synonyms
crystallize,
pound,
grind,
crush,
powder,
crumble,
pulverize,
triturate,
levigate
in the sense of grate
Definition
to produce a harsh rasping sound by scraping against an object or surface
His chair grated as he got to his feet.
Synonyms
scrape,
grind,
rub,
scratch,
creak,
rasp
Synonyms of 'mill'
mill
Explore 'mill' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of plant
Definition
a factory or workshop
The plant provides forty per cent of the country's electricity.
Synonyms
factory,
works,
shop,
yard,
mill,
foundry
in the sense of pound
Definition
to crush to pieces or to powder
She paused as she pounded the maize grains.
Synonyms
crush,
powder,
bruise,
bray (dialect),
pulverize,
comminute (rare),
triturate
in the sense of powder
Mix all the powdered ingredients together.
Synonyms
grind,
crush,
pound,
pestle,
pulverize,
granulate
in the sense of press
Definition
to compress to alter in shape
The grapes are hand-picked and pressed.
Synonyms
compress,
grind,
reduce,
mill,
crush,
pound,
squeeze,
tread,
pulp,
mash,
trample,
condense,
pulverize,
tamp,
macerate
in the sense of pulverize
Definition
to reduce to fine particles by crushing or grinding
Pulverize the bran to a fine powder.
Synonyms
crush,
pound,
grind,
mill,
bray,
pestle,
granulate,
comminute,
triturate,
levigate
in the sense of workshop
Definition
a room or building where manufacturing or other manual work is carried on
a small workshop for repairing secondhand motorcycles