white ensign
noun
the British naval ensign, consisting of the red cross of St. George on a white field, with the British union occupying the upper quarter along the hoist.
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white ensign
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White Ensign
White Ensignnounthe ensign of the Royal Navy and the Royal Yacht Squadron, having a red cross on a white background with the Union Jack at the upper corner of the vertical edge alongside the hoist Compare Red Ensign Blue Ensign
white ensign
Americannoun
White Ensign
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of white ensign
First recorded in 1875–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He was a Flag Officer and went without food or drink for the whole day as he held the naval white ensign.
From BBC ● May 6, 2023
He was believed to have been the last surviving British marine to see the Royal Navy’s white ensign raised over Sword Beach as allied forces advanced.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
Looking back, the two figures on watch were silhouetted by the glow of the white ensign flapping in the wind and a flashing orange beacon.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2015
Up went the blue and white ensign on the victory flagpole a third time.
From Time Magazine Archive
"One of our destroyers, by Jove!" added Farnworth, as a four-black-funnelled, black-hulled craft proudly displaying the white ensign could be seen beyond the barrier of rock that almost closed the narrow entrance.
From The Fight for Constantinople A Story of the Gallipoli Peninsula by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman
The monarch will board her namesake ship in Portsmouth to see the Royal Navy White Ensign raised on the vessel for the first time.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2017
There is also a large White Ensign on the left shoulder.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2015
The commander of the operation has sent the following message: ''Be pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Ensign flies alongside the Union Jack in South Georgia.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 19, 2014
The commander of the operation has sent the following message: “Be pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Ensign flies alongside the Union Jack in South Georgia. God save the Queen.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 19, 2014
Muckle Flugga, I believe, is a remote headland in the Shetlands, and she, a member of the corps called after it, flew the White Ensign of the British Navy and was an armed merchant cruiser.
From Stand By! Naval Sketches and Stories by H. Taprell (Henry Taprell) Dorling
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