battleship
Americannoun
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battleships
plural
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any of a class of warships that are the most heavily armored and are equipped with the most powerful armament.
noun
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a heavily armoured warship of the largest type having many large-calibre guns
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(formerly) a warship of sufficient size and armament to take her place in the line of battle; ship of the line
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of battleship
Compare meaning
How does battleship compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A battleship is a very large, seagoing military vessel. A battleship is prepared for war, being protected by heavy armor and equipped with guns. Today's modern military doesn't often use battleships — you're more likely to find a battleship in a harbor being explored by tourists. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, battleships were the most modern, powerful kind of boat on the water, and they were used during both World Wars by various countries' navies. The game Battleship, which shares a name with these warships, has been around in one form or another since the 1930s.
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.
See Examples For:
US Navy veteran Jonny Burnell spent 111 days aboard the battleship USS Vinson during the US war with Afghanistan in 2001.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
"I call Walmart the battleship, and I call Aldi a kind of submarine."
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
The battleship was supplanted as king of the seas in the 1940s by the aircraft carrier.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
The new battleship named after President Trump will be nuclear-powered, the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
When the Japanese Propaganda Corps lands in the small Filipino village of Santiago, Bauang, there are a few million leaflets onboard their battleship.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
However, Woodburn said there was still a role for the traditional battleships and submarines that BAE has been manufacturing for decades.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
FDR’s “arsenal of democracy” produced External link 10 battleships, 27 carriers, 211 submarines, and 310,000 aircraft to help win the war and establish Pax Americana.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Hegseth and Trump were frustrated by his lack of progress in implementing shipbuilding reforms to create Trump’s so-called “Golden Fleet,” led by the theoretical new “Trump-class” battleships.
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
The regular navy operated Iran’s big battleships largely for prestige and occasional long-range deployments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
By the summer of 1943, the Atlantic was full of German submarines and British battleships.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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