Miles Away, to be

Also: To look miles away

Meaning of Idiom ‘Miles Away’

To be or to look miles away means to appear to be lost in thought, unfocused, daydreaming, not listening, distracted, etc. ¹Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,²Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.

Usage

This idiom is most often used when a person appears to not be listening and to be thinking about something else.

Examples of Use

“You look miles away,” said Jan. “Is anything wrong?”

“James, did you hear me? I said we need to replace the air conditioning filters again.” “Sorry, I was miles away,” said James.

Origin

Used since at least the early 1900s, this idiom alludes to one’s mind being in a far away place.

More Idioms Starting with M

• Music to My Ears
• Monkey Around
• Make Nice
• Million Times, a
• Make Eyes at Someone Meaning

More Away Idioms

• Run Away With (something)
• Run Away
• Get Away From It All
• When the Cat’s Away, the Mice Will Play
• Get Away with Murder

More Look Idioms

• Look What the Cat Dragged In
• Keep a Lookout Meaning
• Look Down Your Nose
• Not Much to Look At
• Needle in a Haystack

More Mile/Miles Idioms

• Mile a Minute, a
• Go the Extra Mile

More Thought Related Idioms

• Perish the Thought
• Narrow-Minded
• School of Thought
• Food For Thought
• Have a Mind Like a Steel Trap

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