Cervical cancer (CC) is among the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality in women worldwide; yet the molecular regulators involved in its progression are unclear. This study found that miR-182 was overexpressed in CC tissues when compared with adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, it found that miR-182 expression was significantly positively correlated with distant metastasis in patients with CC. Interestingly, in vitro experiments showed that overexpression and inhibition of miR-182 promoted and suppressed the growth of CC cells, respectively. The tumor-promoting effects of miR-182 on CC progression were achieved via the Wnt/β-catenin axis and its downstream genes. Thus, this study revealed the potential of miR-182/β-catenin as an effective new target for CC treatment.