gunship
noun
gun·ship
ˈgən-ˌship 
: a helicopter or cargo aircraft armed with rockets and machine guns
Examples of gunship in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The gunship had only two seats, pilot and co-pilot.
—
Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024
Hardy later piloted giant B-29 bombers during the Korean War and C-119 gunships in Vietnam.
—Kerry J. Byrne Fox News, Fox News, 3 Feb. 2023
The gunship crew tracked the attackers in their vehicle and struck back, killing several of them, according to U.S. officials.
—Matt Seyler, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
The vessel was scuttled by its own crew to prevent Gen. Sherman from capturing the massive gunship when his Union troops took Savannah in December 1864.
—CBS News, 14 Nov. 2023
Before aircraft carriers, gunships with powerful cannons, ultimately known as battleships, were the dominant vessel for war at sea, with guns that could bombard inland as well as devastate foes at sea.
—Kelsey D. Atherton, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2023
On June 19, Israeli forces raid Jenin, deploying helicopter gunships to the West Bank for the first time since the second intifada.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2023
Experts said that was probably the first such use of helicopter gunships in the occupied West Bank since the second Palestinian uprising about 20 years ago.
—Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 19 June 2023
Israeli helicopter gunships were deployed to Lebanese territory, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said on X, formerly Twitter.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2023
Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024
Hardy later piloted giant B-29 bombers during the Korean War and C-119 gunships in Vietnam.
—Kerry J. Byrne Fox News, Fox News, 3 Feb. 2023
The gunship crew tracked the attackers in their vehicle and struck back, killing several of them, according to U.S. officials.
—Matt Seyler, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2023
The vessel was scuttled by its own crew to prevent Gen. Sherman from capturing the massive gunship when his Union troops took Savannah in December 1864.
—CBS News, 14 Nov. 2023
Before aircraft carriers, gunships with powerful cannons, ultimately known as battleships, were the dominant vessel for war at sea, with guns that could bombard inland as well as devastate foes at sea.
—Kelsey D. Atherton, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2023
On June 19, Israeli forces raid Jenin, deploying helicopter gunships to the West Bank for the first time since the second intifada.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2023
Experts said that was probably the first such use of helicopter gunships in the occupied West Bank since the second Palestinian uprising about 20 years ago.
—Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 19 June 2023
Israeli helicopter gunships were deployed to Lebanese territory, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said on X, formerly Twitter.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gunship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1966, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near gunship
Cite this Entry
“Gunship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunship. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
gunship
noun
gun·ship
-ˌship
: an aircraft armed with rockets and machine guns for protection of ground troops or helicopters carrying them
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