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Synonyms

aircraft carrier

American  

noun

  1. a warship equipped with a large open deck for the taking off and landing of warplanes and with facilities to carry, service, and arm them.

aircraft carrier British  

noun

  1. a warship built with an extensive flat deck space for the launch and recovery of aircraft

"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 aircraft carrier

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

The U.S. has an aircraft carrier, multiple guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship and several other warships in the Middle East, Navy and Central Command officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is in the Arabian Sea, could serve as a base of operations for boardings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

It deployed two warships, including an aircraft carrier, for relief operations.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier that has been part of Middle East war operations, arrived at the Croatian city of Split on Saturday, the US embassy said in a statement.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

In the South China Sea, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, twenty-six-year-old Navy Lieutenant Everett Alvarez zipped up his flight suit.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

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.