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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Besides the funding request, the congressman is also part of a bipartisan group of legislators that in February reintroduced a bill that aims to expand CBP’s jurisdiction from 12 to 24 nautical miles offshore. Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025 Over 65% of visual observations have occurred within 200 nautical miles of three countries: the United States, Japan, and New Zealand, meaning that much of our assumptions about the deep sea are based on a minuscule sample size. Simmone Shah, Time, 7 May 2025 If rescue is necessary within 200 nautical miles (370 km) of the agency's Florida launch site, an HC-130 aircraft and two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters will be deployed from Patrick Space Force Base near Kennedy Space Center. Brett Tingley, Space.com, 30 Apr. 2025 The nautical mile is roughly 900 feet longer than a standard mile. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025 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 24 May. 2025.

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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