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

Etymology

Origin of aircraft carrier

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aircraft carrier

It commissioned its first aircraft carrier in 2012, its second in 2019 and its third in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

After a record 250 days at sea without a port stop, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is preparing to dock in Thailand, giving its nearly 5,000 crew members a much-needed break.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Some 5,000 American sailors will pour into Pattaya starting Wednesday, when the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and two other Navy ships make a five-day port call in eastern Thailand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

It has also had to reposition the USS George Washington vessel and its escort warships to the Persian Gulf from Japan—thus removing the Navy’s only aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026

Now they’re on the aircraft carrier in Virginia.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• carrier
• warship