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
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.
The third Pearl Harbor survivor to die in the last few weeks, Chandler was a hospital corpsman 3rd class on Dec. 7, 1941, when waves of Japanese fighter planes dropped bombs and fired machine guns on battleships in the harbor and plunged the U.S. into World War II. Audrey McAvoy, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025 The battleship was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed the naval base in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 30 Dec. 2024 Multiple battleships, including the USS Arizona and USS Utah, sank in the attack, and 188 aircraft were destroyed. Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024 Two Navy battleships were destroyed in the attack, including the USS Arizona. Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 7 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for battleship 

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 30 Jan. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!