through the mill

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You are both relatively young and, while you’ve been through the mill with your health, your wife likely wants to work a few more years for reasons that go beyond mere finances.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 24, 2025

You look at him celebrating now with his wife and sons and you know that he went through the mill to get to where he is today.

From BBC • May 8, 2023

“We’ve got some very loyal supporters and they have gone through the mill of late, in the last 10, 20 years since we’ve come out the Football League,” Penn said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2022

In October 2020, Pickford had been through the mill.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2021

“I’ve been through the mill, now, too,” he said.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith