dreadnought

or dread·naught

[ dred-nawt ]

noun

1. 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.
2. an outer garment of heavy woolen cloth.
3. a thick cloth with a long pile.

dreadnought

/ ˈdrɛdˌnɔːt /

noun

1. a battleship armed with heavy guns of uniform calibre
2. an overcoat made of heavy cloth
3. slang.
   a heavyweight boxer
4. a person who fears nothing

Word History and Origins

Origin of dreadnought¹

First recorded in 1800–10; dread + nought

Example Sentences

The new Dreadnought boats being built at Barrow-in-Furness to replace the current submarines in the early 2030s carry an estimated cost of £31bn.

From BBC

In plane sight: "A A400m Callsign Dreadnought 60 doing a fly through at Oban Airport," says Murray MacGregor.

From BBC

The site in Govan will build the integrated optronic combat system mast, the above water "eyes", for the future nuclear deterrent class Dreadnought.

From BBC

It is already on contract to build the ultra-powerful Sonar 2076 system for the Dreadnought class which now means it will be providing the boat's "eyes and ears" behind the platform's operational capability.

From BBC

The Dreadnought version continues the tradition and the wider programme, from design through to build, will sustain around 30,000 jobs across the UK.

From BBC

Related Words

• battleship
• corvette
• cutter
• destroyer
• frigate
• gunboat
• submarine