flagship
Americannoun
-
a ship carrying the flag officer or the commander of a fleet, squadron, or the like, and displaying the officer's flag.
-
the main vessel of a shipping company.
-
any of the best or largest ships or airplanes operated by a passenger line.
-
the best or most important one of a group or system.
This store is the flagship of our retail chain.
adjective
noun
-
a ship, esp in a fleet, aboard which the commander of the fleet is quartered
-
the most important ship belonging to a shipping company
-
a single item from a related group considered as the most important, often in establishing a public image
the nine o'clock news is the flagship of the BBC
Etymology
Origin of flagship
Explanation
Traditionally, the commander of a navy traveled in the flagship, which was distinguished by flying his distinctive flag. You can also call the ship in the front of a fleet the flagship. The flagship is generally the most powerful in some way — better armed, or larger, than the ships that follow it. Ultimately, the most important thing about a flagship is that it's first. Based on this meaning, another kind of flagship is something that's the first, best, or biggest example of something — a product, store, or program, for example. Starbucks' enormous flagship coffee shop, the company's largest and fanciest shop, is in Seattle, Washington.
Vocabulary lists containing flagship
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.
Blackstone asked senior executives of its flagship private-credit fund to back the fund as redemptions rose.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
After a short stint in his brother's plastics business, he launched the flagship family conglomerate that bears his name in 1988 by branching out into the export trade.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood’s flagship exchange-traded fund actively invests in shares of companies expected to be disruptive and innovative.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
In a two-storey flagship laboratory in one of the many new business hubs in Chongqing, a group of kindergarten children cackle with delight as they watch a robot fish swim around the tank.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
No flagship state university has a smaller proportion of low-income students than Virginia.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
