Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.


aircraft carrier British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of aircraft carrier

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

It is the first time Nato has conducted air policing operations from a European aircraft carrier.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

The Russian Bear-F plane passed at low altitude and "unnecessarily close" to the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier and is believed to have dropped 10 sonobuoys into the water on Thursday, the MoD added.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

He had hatched an idea with Brownies & Lemonade, which was known for hosting famous DJs in anomalous places: inside the elevator at United Talent Agency, in a USS aircraft carrier.

From Slate • Jun. 25, 2026

While rain battered Manhattan during Memorial Day weekend, more than 1,400 people packed into the hangar deck of the USS Intrepid, a World War II aircraft carrier permanently berthed at Midtown Manhattan’s Pier 86.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

They parked an aircraft carrier battle group just offshore of Red Team’s home country.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "aircraft carrier" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com