shipbuilder

American

[ship-bil-der] / ˈʃɪpˌbɪl dər /

noun

a person whose occupation is the designing or constructing of ship.
a commercial firm for building ships.

shipbuilder British

/ ˈʃɪpˌbɪldə /

noun

a person or business engaged in the building of ships

"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

Other Word Forms

shipbuilding noun

Etymology

Origin of shipbuilder

First recorded in 1690–1700; ship ¹ + builder

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.

Saronic Technologies, an autonomous shipbuilder, raised $1.75 billion, valuing it at $9.25 billion, to scale US shipbuilding.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Italian naval shipbuilder Fincantieri and Naval Group in France codesigned a frigate that is made in their own yards and are working on a patrol boat together.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Shares in military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries were up sharply Monday, building on Friday’s surge that came after the U.S.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 22, 2025

It has said it aims to become a long-term partner to Austal, which the Australian government has designated as its strategic shipbuilder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

He got to London, where he stayed with John Slany, a shipbuilder with investments in Newfoundland.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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