nautical mile

noun

: any of various units of distance used for sea and air navigation based on the length of a minute of arc of a great circle of the earth and differing because the earth is not a perfect sphere: such as
a
: a British unit equal to 6080 feet (1853.2 meters)
b
: an international unit equal to exactly 1852 meters (6076.115 feet or 1.15 statute miles) used officially in the U.S. since July 1, 1954

Examples of nautical mile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Earlier this month, the sailboat the couple was using to travel around the Bahamas, Soulmate, was seized by Coast Guard investigators about 40 nautical miles south of Florida, sources told CBS News. Cristian Benavides, CBS News, 28 May 2026 The Coast Guard also issued a news release on May 14, saying agents seized the Hookers' boat, named Soulmate, about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Melbourne, Florida. Saleen Martin, USA Today, 28 May 2026 Six original segments of the wall arrived recently at Union Station after a trip of about 4,000 nautical miles from Barcelona, Spain. Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026 While the Aquatravesia was still in Mexican waters, the captain was allegedly told cartel members would be waiting roughly 80 nautical miles offshore on the evening of May 14 and the early morning of May 15 to retrieve the drugs, according to the complaint. Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for nautical mile

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nautical mile was in 1830

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Cite this Entry

“Nautical mile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nautical%20mile. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

nautical mile

noun
: any of various units of distance used for sea and air navigation equal to about 6076 feet (1852 meters)

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