ship of the line

American  

noun

1. a former sailing warship armed powerfully enough to serve in the line of battle, usually having cannons ranged along two or more decks; battleship.

---

ship of the line British  

noun

1. nautical (formerly) a warship large enough to fight in the first line of battle

---

Etymology

Origin of ship of the line

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

Majestic as a ship of the line, Dramatic Soprano Eileen Parrel I, 47, cruised through an aria from La Gioconda as she neared the end of a concert at Atlanta's Municipal Auditorium.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is also fully aware of the ironies�the sheer comic puzzlement�implicit in a confrontation between a modern ship of the line and antiques that are a mere four decades old.

From Time Magazine Archive

Laid down as a last-word, 86-gun ship of the line, she was held up by several stingy Congresses.

From Time Magazine Archive

A few days later, Sir Horatio, flying a commodore's pendant, was beat ing up the Channel in the 900-man ship of the line Nonsuch, followed by two sloops, two bomb-ketches and a cutter.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Yeoman of the Watch in the second ship of the line steadied his glass against an angle of the chart house.

From A Tall Ship On Other Naval Occasions by Bartimeus