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 boat was eventually stopped 53 nautical miles from Ierapetra, a city on Crete's southern coastline.

From BBC

The vessel carrying the group was 53 nautical miles south of Ierapetra, a town on southern Crete.

From Barron's

Its last location was around 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth and still in the UK's EEZ.

From BBC

He said the tanker was currently in international waters but in Libya's search and rescue zone about 53 nautical miles north of Tripoli and heading south.

From Barron's

The P-12 has a range of around 40 nautical miles when traveling at full capacity with 30 passengers and one crew member.

From The Wall Street Journal