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 ship is 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, has a top speed in excess of 28 knots and a range of 12,000 nautical miles, according to the Coast Guard. Alexandra Koch, Fox News, 6 Feb. 2025 The size of Gulfstream III’s wing increased by six feet compared to its predecessor, expanding its fuselage and range to 3,650 nautical miles. Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2025 From the April 1969 issue: The deep-sea bed According to the Law of the Sea, a continental shelf stretches 200 nautical miles from a nation’s shores. Jack Truesdale, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2025 The Philippines has protested this month against the entry of Chinese vessels in its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including the 541-ft-long ship 5901, last spotted 77 nautical miles off the western province of Zambales. Reuters, NBC News, 14 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 22 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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