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 Two Taiwanese and three Indonesian crew members were detained as the boat operated 11.2 nautical miles from the mainland coast in China’s territorial waters, said Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy director general of Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration. Eric Cheung, CNN, 3 July 2024 The new route is about 11,000 nautical miles longer and adds one to two weeks of transit time and approximately $1 million in fuel costs for each voyage. Mike Brest, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 July 2024 The Russian fleet – including a frigate, two smaller ships and a nuclear submarine – passed within 30 nautical miles off Key Largo on Tuesday on its approach to Havana, remaining in international waters but coming unusually close to U.S. shores, one U.S. official said. Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 14 June 2024 According to its data, the U.S. warship had been staying in the area for the past few hours, at times getting closer but well off Cuban territorial waters, which stretch out to 12 nautical miles. Michael Wilner and Nora Gámez Torres The Miami Herald (tns), arkansasonline.com, 14 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for nautical mile 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nautical mile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 7 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

nautical mile

noun
: any of various units of distance used for sea and air navigation equal to about 6076 feet (1852 meters)

More from Merriam-Webster on nautical mile

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!