put through the mill

English

Etymology

From through the mill.

Verb

put 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)

1. (transitive, figuratively) to be abused or treated very harshly; to suffer intense anguish, stress, or grief.

See also

• go through the mill
• put through the wringer
• put through the mangle

Further reading

• “put sb through the mill”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “go through put someone through the mill” (US) / “go through put someone through the mill” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “put somebody through the mill” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.