battleship

Meaning

1. A large capital warship displacing thousands to tens of thousands of tons, heavily armoured and armed with large-caliber guns; now obsolescent and replaced by smaller vessels with guided missiles.
2. (broadly) A large capital warship displacing thousands to tens of thousands of tons, heavily armoured and armed with large-caliber guns; now obsolescent and replaced by smaller vessels with guided missiles.
3. (archaic) A ship of the line.
4. A non-functional rocket stage, used for configuration and integration tests.
5. A guessing game played on grid paper; see Battleship (game).

Synonyms

warship

man-of-war

dreadnought

battlewagon

gunboat

torpedo boat

ironclad

warcraft

armored ship

armoured ship

combat ship

battle-wagon

armor clad

armour clad

pre-dreadnought

battle-cruiser

cruiser

fighter

naval vessel

ship of the line

tank

Translations

cuirassé

Schlachtschiff

acorazado

θωρηκτό

cuirassat

corazzata

encouraçado

slagschip

bataille navale

navire de guerre

couraçado

Kriegsschiff

ναυμαχία

nave corazzata

Etymology

From battle + ship; shortened from line-of-battle ship, attested 1794.