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capital ship

American  

noun

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


capital ship British  

noun

  1. 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.

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

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2023

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

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

From The Verge • Oct. 9, 2020

During the first few days our Navy patrol planes crippled an enemy capital ship, and claimed nothing better than crippling.

From Time Magazine Archive

In view of these facts, it is not surprising that the submersible should not have been able to sweep the capital ship from the seas, as was predicted by certain experts before the war.

From The Journal of Submarine Commander von Forstner by Forstner, Georg-Günther, Freiherr von

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