ship of state

American  

noun

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

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ship of state Idioms  

1. 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).

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Etymology

Origin of ship of state

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

Following in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Gerald Ford’s attempt to right the ship of state, Carter blew into town an outsider intent on shaking up the Washington establishment.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2025

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

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for the ship of state, and no one is better able to help the cause than Obama.

From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2022

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