aircraft carrier

American  

noun

• aircraft carriers
  plural

1. a warship equipped with a large open deck for the taking off and landing of warplanes and with facilities to carry, service, and arm them.

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aircraft carrier British  

noun

1. a warship built with an extensive flat deck space for the launch and recovery of aircraft

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• aircraft carriers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of aircraft carrier

First recorded in 1915–20

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aircraft carrier

The Intrepid Museum, housed in a decommissioned aircraft carrier moored along Manhattan’s West Side, has been a popular destination for local families.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Additional forces, including a third aircraft carrier group, have been sent to the region, while US staffing levels have also been reduced.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

Washington is deploying a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marines, while relocating some military and diplomatic personnel amid concerns over possible retaliation, the Journal reported.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Pilots have compared landing on the short runway, with either side plunging straight down off the side of a vertical cliff, to landing on an aircraft carrier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Pushing the raft, he figured, was about like trying to push an aircraft carrier.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

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Related Words

• carrier
• warship

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