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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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 The captain was informed that while the Aquatravesia was in Mexican waters, small naval crafts with armed cartel members would be waiting 80 nautical miles from the shore. City News Service, Daily News, 23 May 2026 According to reports, Havoc Spear is a 200-pound-class, mission-adaptable weapon that demonstrated a standoff range of more than 400 nautical miles. Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 22 May 2026 The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby. ABC News, 20 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 26 May. 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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