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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Some point toward Great Nicobar’s location, mere 40 nautical miles from the Malacca Strait through which around one third of global sea trade passes. M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025 The crash occurred about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Milwaukee, Lauofo said. David Clarey, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025 With low fuel consumption and a range of 3,500 nautical miles, Bravado is a true world cruiser. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2025 Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an EEZ extends 200 nautical miles (230 miles) from a coast, within which claiming governments are entitled to exclusive access to resources. Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 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 14 Sep. 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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