Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

minelayer

American  
[mahyn-lay-er] / ˈmaɪnˌleɪ ər /

noun

  1. a naval ship equipped for placing mines in the water.


minelayer British  
/ ˈmaɪnˌleɪə /

noun

  1. a warship or aircraft designed for the carrying and laying of mines

"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 minelayer

First recorded in 1905–10; mine 2 + lay 1 + -er 1


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:

Taiwan also produces its own deterrent weapons, including minelayer ships, air defense missile systems and antiship cruise missiles.

From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2022

Among the warships on display were the island's new minelayer as well as a stealth corvette, which has been dubbed by Taiwan's navy the "aircraft carrier killer" due to its complement of anti-ship missiles.

From Reuters ● Jul. 26, 2022

Terror, a minelayer, was anchored at Kerama Retto, off the southwest coast of Okinawa Island, where it was receiving casualties from nearby ships.

From New York Times ● May 21, 2020

Famed German subsea minelayer of World War I was U-J5, which sowed the northwest outlet of Scapa Flow.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Japanese destroyed or damaged three navy cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer, leading our nation into World War II. One hundred eighty-eight US aircraft were destroyed.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training