ship of the line
noun phrase
: a large warship
specifically
: a square-rigged warship having at least two gun decks and designed to be positioned for battle in a line with other such ships
Examples of ship of the line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Back in 2017, their first ship of the line arrived in the form of The Play That Goes Wrong, a Noises Off–style farce based around performers messing up a fictional hoary stage play.
—
Vulture, 19 Apr. 2023
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.
Vulture, 19 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Ship of the line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ship%20of%20the%20line. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share