flagship

[flag-ship]

noun

1. a ship carrying the flag officer or the commander of a fleet, squadron, or the like, and displaying the officer's flag.

2. the main vessel of a shipping company.

3. any of the best or largest ships or airplanes operated by a passenger line.

4. the best or most important one of a group or system.

   This store is the flagship of our retail chain.

adjective

1. being or constituting a flagship.

flagship

/ ˈflæɡˌʃɪp /

noun

1. a ship, esp in a fleet, aboard which the commander of the fleet is quartered

2. the most important ship belonging to a shipping company

3. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of flagship¹

First recorded in 1665–75; flag ¹ + ship ¹

Example Sentences

Britain's flagship polar research vessel heads to Antarctica next week to help advance dozens of climate change-linked science projects, as Western nations spearhead studies there while the United States withdraws.

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Cardinal Health CAH 0.94%increase; green up pointing triangle is building a flagship pharmaceutical distribution center in Indianapolis to keep up with its growing customer base and the shifting needs of drug companies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

However, Europe intends to complete these "flagship missions" even if the United States pulls out -- perhaps by bringing in other partners, he added.

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The closing locations include cafes in Seattle, among them the chain’s flagship Roastery in the city and Reserve store at its headquarters.

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Shutting down stores like its flagship Seattle Reserve Roastery location was painful, but they were losing money, he said, and closing underperforming locations helps allocate resources to other cafes.

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