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
If thunderstorms move within about 10 nautical miles, the risk from lightning and electrified clouds becomes too high, according to NASA's Artemis II weather criteria.
—
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
The top section of one converter station traveled over 13,000 nautical miles from Thailand to Norway before installation.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Each season, the company establishes a private base camp at Union Glacier in the southern Ellsworth Mountains, about 600 nautical miles from the South Pole.
—Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026
In a post on X on Saturday morning, the navy said an aircraft spotted the boats 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) northwest of Havana, Cuba, and that a boat was on the way to provide help.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
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Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
The top section of one converter station traveled over 13,000 nautical miles from Thailand to Norway before installation.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Each season, the company establishes a private base camp at Union Glacier in the southern Ellsworth Mountains, about 600 nautical miles from the South Pole.
—Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026
In a post on X on Saturday morning, the navy said an aircraft spotted the boats 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) northwest of Havana, Cuba, and that a boat was on the way to provide help.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
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 3 Apr. 2026.
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