ship of state
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of ship of state
First recorded in 1665–75
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.
Spain claims the San José is a "ship of state" as it belonged to the Spanish navy when it was sunk and its contents are protected under a UN convention Colombia is not party to.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2024
Most early mentions are riffs on the metaphor of the ship of state, with entire nations beating against the breeze, or come as puns in stories about airplanes or shipping companies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
Compartmentalization, so that the ship of state has the same structural safety feature as a ship at sea.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 7, 2023
The art coming out of Denmark’s disastrous defeats suggests a people trying to steady the ship of state and console the national psyche.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2023
For twenty years, over the entire life span of the revolutionary war and the experiment with republican government, Washington had stood at the helm of the ship of state.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
