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.

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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

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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

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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 agency preventively closed an extensive swath of airspace extending 1,600 nautical miles from the launch site, across the Gulf of Mexico and through part of the Caribbean.

From Salon

It will be an offence for any unmanned aircraft to fly below 2,000ft above sea level within one nautical mile of Edinburgh Castle.

From BBC

Despite more than 15 hours of searching across roughly 84 square nautical miles, crews were unable to locate Fox, and the active search was suspended later that day, according to police.

From Los Angeles Times

The search for Fox was suspended after more than 15 hours, covering 84 square nautical miles, the Pacific Grove Police Department said online.

From Los Angeles Times

The migrants rescued Saturday morning were aboard a fishing boat some 14 nautical miles south of Gavdos, a small island south of Crete.

From Barron's