mother ship
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of mother ship
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
The Jiutian, a hulking mother ship drone designed to release swarms of smaller drones, completed its maiden flight in December, according to state media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
A sprawling search and rescue mission involving four governments unfolded after the submersible lost contact with its mother ship, the Polar Prince, on the morning of 18 June 2023 and never resurfaced.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2024
The size and waterfront location, she added, make AltaSea “a unicorn piece of property that is basically made to be the mother ship for the blue economy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2024
The Guggenheim’s mother ship interior is such a thrill that it prepares you to love whatever’s on view.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2024
Then you would launch a smaller manned spacecraft from that mother ship, and the smaller craft would fly to the moon.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
