lightship

[ lahyt-ship ]

noun
  1. a ship anchored in a specific location and displaying or flashing a very bright light for the guidance of ships, as in avoiding dangerous areas. Abbreviation: LS

Origin of lightship

1
First recorded in 1830–40; light1 + ship1

Words Nearby lightship

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lightship in a sentence

  • A few minutes later, a boat was seen to push off from the sloop and make for the lightship.

  • Near the Sandy Hook lightship we find the racers were under way, with whole mainsails and jackyarders set.

    Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
  • Jimmy decided that he would come down on the water, which was very calm, and take a look at the lightship.

    The Flying Reporter | Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin) Theiss
  • But the only bell in that direction would be on Hedge Fence lightship in case her whistle has been disabled.

    Blow The Man Down | Holman Day
  • There was a chilly wind blowing outside, and the lightship on the quicksand afar looked harassed and forlorn.

    The Well-Beloved | Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for lightship

lightship

/ (ˈlaɪtˌʃɪp) /


noun
  1. a ship equipped as a lighthouse and moored where a fixed structure would prove impracticable

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