8 MODAL You use might to make a suggestion or to give advice in a very polite way. [POLITENESS ] □ They might be wise to stop advertising on television. □ You might try the gas station down the street.
9 MODAL You use might as a polite way of interrupting someone, asking a question, making a request, or introducing what you are going to say next. [FORMAL , SPOKEN , POLITENESS ] □ Might I make a suggestion? □ Might I draw your readers' attention to the dangers in the Government's proposal.
10 MODAL You use might in expressions such as as you might expect and as you might imagine in order to indicate that the statement you are making is not surprising. □ 'How's Jan?' she asked.—'Bad. As you might expect.'. □ The drivers, as you might imagine, didn't care much for that.
11 MODAL You use might in expressions such as I might add and I might say in order to emphasize a statement that you are making. [EMPHASIS ] □ It didn't come as a great surprise to me, I might say.
12 MODAL You use might in expressions such as I might have known and I might have guessed to indicate that you are not surprised at a disappointing event or fact. □ 'I detest clutter, you know.'—'I didn't know, but I might have guessed.'
13 might as well → see well ➌
➋ might /ma I t/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Might is power or strength. [FORMAL ] □ The might of the army could prove a decisive factor.
2 PHRASE If you do something with all your might , you do it using all your strength and energy. □ She swung the hammer at his head with all her might.
mighti|ly /ma I t I li/ ADV [ADV adj/adv, ADV after v] Mightily means to a great extent or degree. [OLD-FASHIONED , EMPHASIS ] □ He had given a mightily impressive performance. □ She strove mightily to put Mike from her thoughts.
mightn't /ma I t ə nt/ Mightn't is a spoken form of 'might not'.
might've /ma I təv/ Might've is the usual spoken form of 'might have', especially when 'have' is an auxiliary verb.
mighty /ma I ti/ (mightier , mightiest )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Mighty is used to describe something that is very large or powerful. [LITERARY ] □ There was a flash and a mighty bang.
2 ADV [ADV adj/adv] Mighty is used in front of adjectives and adverbs to emphasize the quality that they are describing. [mainly AM , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ It's something you'll be mighty proud of.
3 → see also high and mighty
mi|graine /miː gre I n, [AM ] ma I -/ (migraines ) N‑VAR A migraine is an extremely painful headache that makes you feel very ill. □ Her mother suffered from migraines. WORD HISTORY migraine
Migraine comes via French from Latin hēmicrānia , meaning 'pain in half the head', from Greek hemi- , meaning 'half', and kranion , meaning 'cranium' or 'skull'.
mi|grant /ma I grənt/ (migrants )
1 N‑COUNT A migrant is a person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work. □ The government divides asylum-seekers into economic migrants and genuine refugees. □ …migrant workers following harvests northward.
2 N‑COUNT [oft N n] Migrants are birds, fish, or animals that migrate from one part of the world to another. □ Migrant birds shelter in the reeds.
mi|grate /ma I gre I t, [AM ] ma I gre I t/ (migrates , migrating , migrated )
1 VERB If people migrate , they move from one place to another, especially in order to find work or to live somewhere for a short time. □ [V prep/adv] People migrate to cities like Jakarta in search of work. □ [V ] Farmers have learned that they have to migrate if they want to survive. ● mi|gra|tion /ma I gre I ʃ ə n/ (migrations ) N‑VAR □ [+ of ] …the migration of Soviet Jews to Israel.
2 VERB When birds, fish, or animals migrate , they move at a particular season from one part of the world or from one part of a country to another, usually in order to breed or to find new feeding grounds. □ [V ] Most birds have to fly long distances to migrate. □ [V prep/adv] …a dam system that kills the fish as they migrate from streams to the ocean. ● mi|gra|tion N‑VAR □ [+ of ] …the migration of animals in the Serengeti.
mi|gra|tory /ma I grətəri, [AM ] -tɔːri/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A migratory bird, fish, or animal is one that migrates every year.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Migratory means relating to the migration of people, birds, fish, or animals. □ …migratory farm labour.
mike /ma I k/ (mikes ) N‑COUNT A mike is the same as a microphone . [INFORMAL ]
mil /m I l/ NUM Mil means the same as million . [INFORMAL ] □ Zhamnov, 22, signed for $1.25 mil over three years.
mild ◆◇◇ /ma I ld/ (milder , mildest )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Mild is used to describe something such as a feeling, attitude, or illness that is not very strong or severe. □ Teddy turned to Mona with a look of mild confusion. □ Anna put up a mild protest. ● mild|ly ADV [usu ADV adj/adv, oft ADV after v] □ Josephine must have had the disease very mildly as she showed no symptoms.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A mild person is gentle and does not get angry easily. □ He is a mild man, who is reasonable almost to the point of blandness. ● mild|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ 'I'm not meddling,' Kenworthy said mildly, 'I'm just curious.'