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• Spanish Armada
  Spanish Armada

  noun

  the great fleet sent by Philip II of Spain against England in 1588: defeated in the Channel by the English fleets and almost completely destroyed by storms off the Hebrides
• Armada, Spanish
  Armada, Spanish

  A fleet of more than a hundred ships sent by King Philip II of Spain to conquer England in 1588. Although called the “Invincible Armada,” it was destroyed by a combination of English seamanship, Dutch reinforcements, and bad weather. Several thousand Spaniards were killed, and about half the Spanish ships were lost.

Spanish Armada

British  

noun

1. Also called: the Armada.  the great fleet sent by Philip II of Spain against England in 1588: defeated in the Channel by the English fleets and almost completely destroyed by storms off the Hebrides

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Armada, Spanish Cultural  

1. A fleet of more than a hundred ships sent by King Philip II of Spain to conquer England in 1588. Although called the “Invincible Armada,” it was destroyed by a combination of English seamanship, Dutch reinforcements, and bad weather. Several thousand Spaniards were killed, and about half the Spanish ships were lost.

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The defeat of the Armada was a sharp blow to the influence and prestige of Spain in the world and was an important step in England's ascent to power.

Example Sentences

The earliest shipwreck is a Spanish Armada vessel from the 1500s, but most are wooden sailing merchant vessels from the 19th Century and World War One and Two vessels.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2023

From the defeat of the Spanish Armada to the disastrous Battle of Rocroi, Hapsburgs absorbed loss after loss, while Protestant northern Europe extended itself across the world.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2023

Don't quote me, but someone once told me that it has to do with all the trees mowed down to create the Spanish Armada — they've been working on regrowing their forests ever since.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2021

Already the leading points-scorer in Ryder Cup history, Garcia won both his matches with Rahm, the latest European version of a Spanish Armada.

From Washington Times • Sep. 25, 2021

"We'll go on unless the stage is under water, and even then they'd likely haul out boats and do The Spanish Armada."

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood