noun
Uncommon
battleship
BA-tuhl-shihp
Battleship (noun) means a large, heavily armoured warship carrying big guns, once the dominant class of naval vessel but now largely retired in favour of missile-armed ships. Example: “The museum ship is a decommissioned battleship from the Second World War.”
noun
1
A large, heavily armoured warship carrying big guns, once the dominant class of naval vessel but now largely retired in favour of missile-armed ships.
"The museum ship is a decommissioned battleship from the Second World War."
"Building a battleship took enormous amounts of steel and manpower."
2
A grid-based guessing game in which players try to locate and sink each other's hidden ships.
"We played battleship on paper during the long car journey."
How to use battleship
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA huge armoured warship with big guns, or the paper-and-pencil guessing game named after it.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
sink a battleship
a battleship-grey hull
play battleship
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like battleship.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- battleships
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The museum ship is a decommissioned _____ from the Second World War.
Etymology
Short for "line-of-battle ship," first recorded in the late 1700s; later shortened again to "battleship."
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for battleship
See all rhymes for battleship →Frequently asked questions
What does “battleship” mean?
The word “battleship” means a large, heavily armoured warship carrying big guns, once the dominant class of naval vessel but now largely retired in favour of missile-armed ships. In plain terms, a huge armoured warship with big guns, or the paper-and-pencil guessing game named after it.
How do you pronounce “battleship”?
“Battleship” is pronounced BA-tuhl-shihp (/ˈbætəlˌʃɪp/ in IPA).
How do you use “battleship” in a sentence?
Here is “battleship” used in a sentence: “The museum ship is a decommissioned battleship from the Second World War.”
What part of speech is “battleship”?
“Battleship” is a noun.
Where does the word “battleship” come from?
The word “battleship” dates back to around 1700. Short for "line-of-battle ship," first recorded in the late 1700s; later shortened again to "battleship.".
Is “battleship” a common word?
“Battleship” is an uncommon word in modern English.
How many meanings does “battleship” have?
“Battleship” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large, heavily armoured warship carrying big guns, once the dominant class of naval vessel but now largely retired in favour of missile-armed ships.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include battleship:
