the ratio of the number of miles traveled to the number of gallons of gasoline burned
"The car's excellent fuel efficiency means it gets forty-five miles per gallon on the highway."
a travel allowance at a given rate per mile traveled
"The company reimbursed him $0.58 in mileage for every business mile he drove."
The total distance travelled in miles or in air miles.
"The car's fuel efficiency improved significantly after reaching its recommended mileage of 60,000 miles."
In plain English: Mileage is how many miles you have driven since buying your car, which usually affects its value and insurance cost.
"The car gets twenty miles per gallon on city driving."
Usage: Mileage refers to the actual distance traveled by a vehicle, often used when calculating fuel efficiency based on how many miles are covered per gallon of gas. It is distinct from abstract uses like "mileage may vary," which implies that results depend on specific conditions rather than measuring physical travel.
Mileage comes from combining the word mile with the suffix -age, which originally indicated a collective quantity or result of an action. This formation created a term referring to the total distance traveled in miles, reflecting how many miles have been covered rather than just counting individual units.