starship

noun

star·​ship ˈstär-ˌship How to pronounce starship (audio)
: a spacecraft designed for interstellar travel

Examples of starship 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.
This week, after several failures, the starship that SpaceX wants to send to Mars conducted a successful test. Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025 Over seven seasons, our intrepid captain guided her Intrepid-class Federation starship back to the Alpha Quadrant after being stuck out in the Delta Quadrant over 70,000 light-years from Earth. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 22 Aug. 2025 This is the Chrysalis Project, an award-winning design for a hypothetical starship that could carry up to 2,400 people to Alpha Centauri—our closest stellar neighbor. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2025 Starring William Shatner as James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise (who actually flew to space in 2021 as part of a Blue Origin stunt), and co-starring Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, each episode took the audience on a vicarious trip across the universe. Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for starship

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of starship was in 1882

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Starship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starship. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

starship

noun
star·​ship ˈstär-ˌship How to pronounce starship (audio)
: a vehicle designed for travel between stars
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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