dreadnought
Americannoun
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a type of battleship armed with heavy-caliber guns in turrets: so called from the British battleship Dreadnought, launched in 1906, the first of its type.
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an outer garment of heavy woolen cloth.
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a thick cloth with a long pile.
noun
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a battleship armed with heavy guns of uniform calibre
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an overcoat made of heavy cloth
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slang a heavyweight boxer
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a person who fears nothing
Etymology
Origin of dreadnought
Compare meaning
How does dreadnought compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A dreadnought is a battleship equipped with large guns of the same caliber. A dreadnought comes in handy in a sea war. There are a lot of types of boats, such as sailboats and yachts, but this is a boat with an unfriendly mission: war. Sometimes spelled dreadnaught, this battleship was bigger and speedier than previous battleships. It also packed impressive firepower in the form of high-caliber guns. It was named after the HMS Dreadnought, which set sail in 1906. However, the word goes back to the late 17th century when it meant a fearless person (who dreaded naught — nothing).
Vocabulary lists containing dreadnought
World War I
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The Devil in the White City
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The Shining
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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.
It is the only remaining WWI-era dreadnought battleship.
From Washington Times • Aug. 31, 2022
The Imperatritsa Maria dreadnought battleship sank in 1916 after an explosion involving ammunition.
From Reuters • Apr. 14, 2022
A recommissioned dreadnought, the New Jersey, with sixteen-inch guns revamped and rumored to be out of dry dock in Philadelphia and headed this way.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 14, 2019
The unnamed correspondent for the Times, watching from the deck of the British flagship the dreadnought HMS Queen Elizabeth, was overwhelmed:
From BBC • Nov. 20, 2014
Bethlehem Steel brought giant ingots and great slabs of military armor, including a curved plate seventeen inches thick meant for the gun turret of the dreadnought Indiana.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
