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
The incident occurred around 16 nautical miles from Punta de Teno, the outlet continued.
—
Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
The aircraft is planned to achieve a combat radius exceeding 1,000 nautical miles and speeds above Mach 2, and will feature all-aspect, broadband low-observability, meaning exceptionally low radar and infrared signatures.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025
The Department is also proposing new oil drilling in parts of the Eastern Gulf — located approximately 100 nautical miles off Florida’s coast — a decision opposed by Florida’s Republican leadership.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 20 Nov. 2025
The artificial reef will also be about 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) away from to the USS Oriskany, another popular dive destination that was sunk in 2006.
—CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nautical mile
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
The aircraft is planned to achieve a combat radius exceeding 1,000 nautical miles and speeds above Mach 2, and will feature all-aspect, broadband low-observability, meaning exceptionally low radar and infrared signatures.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025
The Department is also proposing new oil drilling in parts of the Eastern Gulf — located approximately 100 nautical miles off Florida’s coast — a decision opposed by Florida’s Republican leadership.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 20 Nov. 2025
The artificial reef will also be about 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) away from to the USS Oriskany, another popular dive destination that was sunk in 2006.
—CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nautical mile
Cite this Entry
“Nautical mile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nautical%20mile. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share