battleship

American  

[bat-l-ship] / ˈbæt lˌʃɪp /

noun

• battleships
  plural

1. any of a class of warships that are the most heavily armored and are equipped with the most powerful armament.

2. ship of the line.

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battleship British  

/ ˈbætəlˌʃɪp /

noun

1. a heavily armoured warship of the largest type having many large-calibre guns

2. (formerly) a warship of sufficient size and armament to take her place in the line of battle; ship of the line

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• battleships
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of battleship

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95; battle ¹ + ship ¹

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Compare meaning

How does battleship compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dreadnought vs. battleship

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Explanation

A battleship is a very large, seagoing military vessel. A battleship is prepared for war, being protected by heavy armor and equipped with guns. Today's modern military doesn't often use battleships — you're more likely to find a battleship in a harbor being explored by tourists. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, battleships were the most modern, powerful kind of boat on the water, and they were used during both World Wars by various countries' navies. The game Battleship, which shares a name with these warships, has been around in one form or another since the 1930s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

battleship battleships

"I call Walmart the battleship, and I call Aldi a kind of submarine."

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The battleship was supplanted as king of the seas in the 1940s by the aircraft carrier.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

The new battleship named after President Trump will be nuclear-powered, the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Navy decommissioned its last battleship in 1992, after the military recognized that battleships had become sitting ducks, vulnerable to modern military munitions that could pick off the vessel from the sky.

From Salon ● May 8, 2026

In fact, when America went to war with Spain in 1898, after the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine, Roosevelt left his job as assistant secretary of the Navy and helped form the 1st U.S.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

However, Woodburn said there was still a role for the traditional battleships and submarines that BAE has been manufacturing for decades.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

FDR’s “arsenal of democracy” produced External link 10 battleships, 27 carriers, 211 submarines, and 310,000 aircraft to help win the war and establish Pax Americana.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Navy decommissioned its last battleship in 1992, after the military recognized that battleships had become sitting ducks, vulnerable to modern military munitions that could pick off the vessel from the sky.

From Salon ● May 8, 2026

It’s unusual for a man to be surprised that modern battleships are more advanced than ones decommissioned decades ago, but more interesting was his engagement in what he was saying.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

By the summer of 1943, the Atlantic was full of German submarines and British battleships.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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