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

The Defense Ministry of Japan reported the Chinese naval movements near the country's territorial waters, which are measured up to 12 nautical miles from its coasts. —Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

The Celebrity Apex cruise ship had been about 140 nautical miles from Puerto Rico at the time of the incident. —Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 3 Dec. 2024

This authentic replica of an ancient Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe was built in the 1970s and has since voyaged thousands of nautical miles. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 28 Nov. 2024

The incident, which took place on November 21, occurred approximately 74 nautical miles southwest of Aden, according to UKMTO. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nautical mile

noun

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