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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The vessel lost power and ran aground on Saturday evening one nautical mile off the southern coast of the Samoan island of Upolu. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 11 Oct. 2024 The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a ship was attacked in the Red Sea about 70 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen. NBC News, 11 Oct. 2024 Prior to slamming into land, video shot by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration drone shows a massive 28-foot wave with wind gusts of nearly 76 miles per hour, crashing about 40 nautical miles from the center of Milton. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024 There were 26 total ships in the area between their point of origin and 40 nautical miles from the L.A. hub, while there were 29 vessels between those points that were headed for L.B. Approximately 436,973 TEUs are aboard the 55 ships headed for the San Pedro Bay. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 27 Sep. 2024 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 16 Nov. 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)

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