aircraft carrier

American  

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of aircraft carrier

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Bush aircraft carrier had arrived in the Middle East, bringing the number of the massive American warships operating in the region to three.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is in the Arabian Sea, could serve as a base of operations for boardings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

"We are going to build an aircraft to succeed the Rafale. It must be capable of carrying out missions and operating from an aircraft carrier," he said.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Some of the Royal Navy helicopters now based at RAF Akrotiri were supposed to join the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales on her planned voyage to the North Atlantic.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

All of them were looking up toward the north where the transport plane would come; the plane bearing the father who had flown off an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean for a year.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• carrier
• warship