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lightship

American

[lahyt-ship] / ˈlaɪtˌʃɪp /

noun

a ship anchored in a specific location and displaying or flashing a very bright light for the guidance of ships, as in avoiding dangerous areas. LS

lightship British

/ ˈlaɪtˌʃɪp /

noun

a ship equipped as a lighthouse and moored where a fixed structure would prove impracticable

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lightship

First recorded in 1830–40; light ¹ + ship ¹

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’s a lightship – a ship that acts as a lighthouse and marks the start of British waters.

From The Guardian • Sep. 23, 2020

On the south coast the Royal Sovereign lightship witnessed an average wind speed of 86mph.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2017

While you’re there, explore the steamship Lilac, free, which will soon be joined by the lightship Nantucket.

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2015

Everybody else was on the ground, between the Peking and the lightship Ambrose, facing the stage, with the East River beyond it.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 14, 2014

A lightship with twin beacons glides past as America recedes; ahead wait the great glittering prairies of the Atlantic.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023