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landing craft

American  

noun

Navy.
  1. any of various flat-bottomed vessels designed to move troops and equipment close to shore.


landing craft British  

noun

  1. military any small vessel designed for the landing of troops and equipment on beaches

"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 landing craft

First recorded in 1935–40

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:

US helicopters have been ferrying in aid and US Marines have used a landing craft to deliver supplies from the USS Fort Lauderdale, an amphibious transport dock ship docked at La Guaira.

From Barron's Jun. 29, 2026

Other than jammers, U.S. forces heading to the region don’t seem to possess antidrone equipment on their vehicles or landing craft, which has become commonplace in Ukraine, Sampson said.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 26, 2026

The naval island is where the Navy developed the Higgins boat — the pivotal landing craft that ferried troops to the beaches of Normandy during the D-day invasion.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 4, 2024

Army Air Force experts forecast that good weather would continue, Britain’s Meteorological Office predicted high winds that could swamp landing craft and thick cloud cover that would hamper air operations.

From Seattle Times Jun. 5, 2024

When he wasn’t lowering landing craft, he was in one himself.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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