nautical mile

NOUN

sea mile

Synonyms

WEAK

NM international nautical mile knot naut mi

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Had Motin changed course about one nautical mile away from the anchored oil tanker, "there would have been no collision", he said.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

Earlier in May, the sailing yacht Alboran Champagne suffered a similar impact from three orcas half a nautical mile off Barbate.

From Reuters • May 26, 2023

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

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