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

That title he reserved for his victory at the infamous 1979 edition of the Fastnet Race, a 600-plus nautical mile competition in which hundreds of boats race around Ireland’s Fastnet Rock.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

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 • Feb. 26, 2026

The "illegal" Florida-registered boat was detected one nautical mile from Falcones Cay in Villa Clara province, the ministry said in a brief statement.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

Officials said the rescue took place about one nautical mile inside British territorial waters.

From Reuters • Nov. 29, 2022

There wasn’t even yet an agreed length for a nautical mile.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson