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.

---

three-mile limit British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of three-mile limit

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

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

Precisely at midnight, the Euryalus passed the three-mile limit of Palestine's territorial waters.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the four asked for asylum, the Coast Guard consulted the State Department, then advised the Cuban ship to "approach no closer than the three-mile limit."

From Time Magazine Archive

But the men who hunted with guns at sea, instead of with clubs on land, could not be controlled unless the world would consent to an American police beyond the three-mile limit.

From The New Nation by Dodd, William E.