nautical mile

American  

noun

1. a unit of distance used chiefly in navigation, equal to 6080.20 feet (1853.25 meters) in the United States, now replaced by the international nautical mile.

---

nautical mile British  

noun

1. Also called: international nautical mile.   air mile.  a unit of length, used esp in navigation, equivalent to the average length of a minute of latitude, and corresponding to a latitude of 45°, i.e. 1852 m (6076.12 ft)

2. Former name: geographical mile.  a former British unit of length equal to 1853.18 m (6080 ft), which was replaced by the international nautical mile in 1970 Compare sea mile

---

nautical mile Scientific  

/ nô′tĭ-kəl /

1. A unit of length in the US Customary System, used in air and sea navigation and equal to 6,076 feet or 2,025 yards (1,852 meters).

2. Also called geographic mile

3. See Table at measurement

---

Etymology

Origin of nautical mile

First recorded in 1625–35

Compare meaning

How does nautical-mile compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• nautical mile vs. statute mile

Example Sentences

The interior ministry said earlier that the speedboat had entered its territorial waters and was "one nautical mile off Cayo Falcones" on the country's northern coast when it was intercepted.

From BBC

The vessels were intercepted on Feb. 6 about 100 nautical miles northwest of Mumbai and were part of an “international oil-smuggling racket,” the Coast Guard said in an Instagram post.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We brought our longest-range aircraft here and we're focusing on the area which other actors cannot reach, approximately between 300 and 500 nautical miles from the Canaries," he said.

From Barron's

They were eventually discovered on the island of Kythira, 60 nautical miles from Kalamata, after being left in a bag on a coastguard vessel, so said officials.

From BBC

Had Motin changed course about one nautical mile away from the anchored oil tanker, "there would have been no collision", he said.

From Barron's