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.

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ship of the line British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of ship of the line

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

Strategically, the US invests more substantively in our conventional military, such as state-of-the-art aircraft, tanks, and ships of the line.

From Salon

The London was a second-rate ship of the line, carrying some 70 guns and more than 300 crew.

From BBC

“As a direct result of the increased Kamikaze program, nervous tension on ships of the line ran high throughout the Philippine invasion,” according to a U.S.

From Time

There are nine cross-members on a square-rigged ship of the line; the "yard arms", or "yards".

From BBC

It consisted of eight ships of the line, two frigates, two gunboats, and over 5,000 troops.

From Project Gutenberg