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 • Dec. 11, 2019

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

From The Guardian • Oct. 22, 2018

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 • Aug. 22, 2018

The deployment does mark the first time that Russia has combined the aircraft carrier’s defensive capability with the offensive capability of Peter the Great, a nuclear powered battle cruiser.

From The Guardian • Oct. 20, 2016

Sir David Beatty's flagship was the battle cruiser Lion.

From The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 2 (of 10) From the Battle of Mons to the Fall of Antwerp. by Parrott, James Edward