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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The mission, which commenced on February 21, 2024, saw the fleet transit over 160,000 nautical miles as its vessels carried out ship escorting duties to protect the security of international maritime trade routes, China's Xinhua News Agency reported. Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025 Photo : Paul Bowen Gulfstream G700 Gulfstream’s flagship has a range of 7,750 nautical miles, a maximum speed of Mach 0.935, and a takeoff distance of 5,595 feet—about the same as the 10X. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2025 States are enabled to lease their own lands within three nautical miles, but anything beyond is up to federal law. Carly Dempsey, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2025 Some the world’s least efficient ships, like the 2,500-passenger Disney Dream and 4,100-passenger Norwegian Epic can emit more than 1,400kg of carbon dioxide per square nautical mile, according to 2023 data from the European Union. Joe Sills, Forbes, 19 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near nautical mile

Cite this Entry

“Nautical mile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nautical%20mile. Accessed 6 Feb. 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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