battleship

noun

bat·​tle·​ship ˈba-tᵊl-ˌship How to pronounce battleship (audio)
: a warship of the largest and most heavily armed and armored class

Examples of battleship in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Stephanie and the Suns of Beaches traveled to the Dunes all the way from Bloomington, Indiana to build their battleships. Jared Quigg, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2023 Assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, Riley of Juda, Wisconsin, was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 26 May 2023 Morgan’s story in the military includes service as a naval gunnery officer aboard the battleship USS South Dakota at the close of WWII and aboard the Navy cruiser USS Saint Paul during the Korean War. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2023 One of the most famous ships with a bulbous bow was the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Yamato, the largest battleship of all time. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2023 In the early twentieth century, the British and German navies devoted enormous resources to building fleets of Dreadnought battleships, just as their counterparts today have sought aircraft carriers. Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 12 June 2023 In World War I, British and German battleships often remained in port because mines and submarines posed too great a hazard. Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 12 June 2023 There are no chest-busters here, dripping saliva that can pit the plates of a battleship. Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023 Toward the end of the Civil War, Joachim Pease, a Black sailor whose skill with a deck cannon helped sink one of the Confederate Army’s most notorious battleships, disappeared from the historical record. James Hagengruber, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'battleship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

short for line-of-battle ship

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of battleship was in 1794

Dictionary Entries Near battleship

Cite this Entry

“Battleship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battleship. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

battleship

noun
bat·​tle·​ship ˈbat-ᵊl-ˌship How to pronounce battleship (audio)
: a large warship with heavy armor and large guns

More from Merriam-Webster on battleship

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