capital ship

American

noun

one of a class of the largest warships; a battleship, battle cruiser, or aircraft carrier.

capital ship British

noun

one of the largest and most heavily armed ships in a naval fleet

"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

Etymology

Origin of capital ship

First recorded in 1680–90

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:

capital ship

The Russian capital ship the Moskva was sunk in the Black Sea by a Neptune antiship missile.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2023

Two teams go head to head with the ultimate goal of taking down the other’s capital ship.

From The Verge ● Oct. 9, 2020

They keep the frontline away from your capital ship while also providing a resupply point during the attack phases.

From The Verge ● Oct. 9, 2020

By gad, Sir, none of your dashed bombers has ever sunk a modern capital ship and they haven't taken Madrid.

From Time Magazine Archive

A capital ship for an ocean trip Was the "Walloping Window-blind"; No gale that blew dismayed her crew Or troubled the captain's mind.

From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume II. (of X.) by Wilder, Marshall Pinckney

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023