aircraft carrier

noun

: a warship with a flight deck on which aircraft can be launched and landed

Examples of aircraft carrier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Japan on Monday issued an update on China's operational aircraft carriers—the Liaoning and Shandong—deployed simultaneously to the Western Pacific. Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025 With 40,000 troops in the Middle East, the Pentagon has been bracing for a counterattack by sending an additional aircraft carrier strike group to the region and bolstering air defenses to protect troops in recent weeks following Israel’s ongoing attacks on Iran. Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 24 June 2025 The Navy had over 4 million personnel, nearly 1,200 combat ships including 99 aircraft carriers: 24 of these were Essex class. Carl Burdette, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2025 The Nimitz is set to take over from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, currently in the Arabian Sea to provide security for U.S. forces near the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, but the two vessels will likely overlap for several days. Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for aircraft carrier

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aircraft carrier was in 1917

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aircraft carrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aircraft%20carrier. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

aircraft carrier

noun
: a warship with a deck from which aircraft can take off and on which they can land
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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