three-mile limit

American  

[three-mahyl lim-it] / ˈθriˌmaɪl ˈlɪm ɪt /

noun

International Law.

1. the limit of the territorial waters of 3 miles (4.8 km), which is included within the jurisdiction of the state or nation possessing the coast.

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three-mile limit British  

noun

1. international law the range of a nation's territorial waters, extending to three nautical miles from shore

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Etymology

Origin of three-mile limit

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

three-mile limit

If the field stretches beyond the three-mile limit of state waters, Caelus would need a federal lease to tap those reserves.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 18, 2016

Delaware, Maine, New Jersey, New York and Virginia are also eager to secure permits and to lease blocks from the federal government in waters beyond the three-mile limit of state control.

From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2010

Only months after Maine announced its underwater deal, Washington sued the states, asserting that they were coveting what was not theirs: natural resources beyond the three-mile limit.

From Time Magazine Archive

Orally amplifying his proclamation, he explained that belligerent submarines may not come within the traditional three-mile limit of U. S. coasts.

From Time Magazine Archive

Although they could not see the tug, she might have reached the port, and they must pass the three-mile limit before they would be safe.

From Wyndham's Pal by Bindloss, Harold