battle cruiser

American  

noun

1. a warship of maximum speed and firepower, but with lighter armor than a battleship.

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battle cruiser British  

noun

1. a warship of battleship size but with lighter armour and fewer guns and capable of high speed

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Etymology

Origin of battle cruiser

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

His first ship was the Grafton, a Royal Navy battle cruiser that served in World War I. Scruffy handwriting made the logbooks hard to read, but Purves was hooked.

From Reuters

The wreck of a World War One German battle cruiser has been located off the Falkland Islands, where it was sunk by the British navy 105 years ago.

From BBC

That opening scene with the imperial battle cruiser coming out of the top of the screen was absolutely mind-bending.

From The Guardian

“Put simply: We are not going to start building Klingon battle cruisers or the Moonraker fleet in West Virginia or Ohio.”

From Seattle Times

The Bismarck was probably the most powerful warship in commission at the time and the Hood was a battle cruiser, rather than a battleship.

From BBC