dreadnought
Americannoun
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a type of battleship armed with heavy-caliber guns in turrets: so called from the British battleship Dreadnought, launched in 1906, the first of its type.
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an outer garment of heavy woolen cloth.
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a thick cloth with a long pile.
noun
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a battleship armed with heavy guns of uniform calibre
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an overcoat made of heavy cloth
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slang a heavyweight boxer
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a person who fears nothing
Etymology
Origin of dreadnought
Compare meaning
How does dreadnought compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A dreadnought is a battleship equipped with large guns of the same caliber. A dreadnought comes in handy in a sea war. There are a lot of types of boats, such as sailboats and yachts, but this is a boat with an unfriendly mission: war. Sometimes spelled dreadnaught, this battleship was bigger and speedier than previous battleships. It also packed impressive firepower in the form of high-caliber guns. It was named after the HMS Dreadnought, which set sail in 1906. However, the word goes back to the late 17th century when it meant a fearless person (who dreaded naught — nothing).
Vocabulary lists containing dreadnought
World War I
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The Devil in the White City
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The Shining
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So, that became kind of the theme song of the Dreadnought excavation.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025
In plane sight: "A A400m Callsign Dreadnought 60 doing a fly through at Oban Airport," says Murray MacGregor.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2024
In that year, Britain debuted an entirely new class of ship when the HMS Dreadnought set sail.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
BAE Systems is also building the Dreadnought class of submarine, that will replace the Vanguard that carries Britain's independent nuclear deterrent, with the first due to enter service in the early 2030s, the company said.
From Reuters • Aug. 31, 2022
To anyone who has the slightest knowledge of the fighting ships of the world, the identification of the German Dreadnought cruisers is a comparatively easy matter.
From Submarine U93 by Gilson, Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
