battleship
Americannoun
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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
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.
The frigate's role was to act as a first line of defence by circling battleship HMS Warspite and it was expected that the sailors would sacrifice their lives.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026
Pearl Harbor effectively ended the battleship era for the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026
They would contradict the Navy’s existing strategic and tactical doctrines, which call for distributed firepower, not the concentration envisioned in a new battleship fleet.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026
"They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," Trump said.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025
Getting hit with that thing would be like getting hit with a battleship.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
