DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

ship of state

noun

a nation or its affairs likened to a ship under sail.

Content related to ship of state

Do You Ship? This Word Of The Day Quiz Will ExplainIs this a madeleine of your score from last week? Here’s your chance to ace the Word of the Day Quiz again! Tell us your favorite word from this week below (and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter)! If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser.   Improve your vocabulary with our Visual Word of the Day videos. See this week’s …
READ MORE
Deep StateRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Words nearby ship of state

ship biscuit, ship canal, ship chandler, ship decanter, ship money, ship of state, ship of the line, ship of war, ship out, ship's articles, ship's biscuit

Origin of ship of state

First recorded in 1665–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Idioms and Phrases with ship of state

ship of state

The nation, as in We can't help but wonder who will be steering our ship of state a hundred years from now. This metaphoric expression was first recorded in English in a translation of Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince (1675).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.