battle cruiser
5
7.2
- noun
- /ˈbætəl ˈkruːzər/
- Archaic
:
crucero de batalla
- During the conflict, the battle cruiser proved its worth with its heavy artillery.
- Klingon battle cruiser
- Centauri battle cruiser
- three battle cruisers
Examples
-
Indeed, the battle cruiser was an impressive warship, an updated and more heavily armed and armored version of the Mon Calamari star cruiser.
Fiction book (2000) -
Klingon battle cruiser off the port bow.
-
The last five battle cruisers are still under construction.
-
In the meantime, I want you to make sure my shuttle is ready and that my battle cruiser is on alert.
Fiction book (1992) -
Now set course and go, or do you want to wait around for them to scramble a couple of battle cruisers after us?
Fiction book (1992) -
The British did lose a carrier to gunfire from a battle cruiser in the Norwegian campaign.
Blog text (20) -
Sensors are picking up a Klingon battle cruiser rapidly closing on the station.
-
Soon, though, Jellico's battle cruisers were showering shells upon hippers, and because of the light and the mist, Germans could not see them to fire back.
-
They ordered Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdy and the battle cruisers Invincible and Inflexible to hunt down von Spie.
-
The sensors detected a large enemy battle cruiser moving swiftly towards our fleet.
Synonyms
140
3.6
A navy boat built for fighting at sea
50
7.4
A large fast warship that fights at sea
2
4.9
A military ship that moves and fights on the water's surface, not underwater
1
5.3
A navy ship built to fight at sea
A ship a government uses for fighting at sea
How Powerful
59
3.8
- Archaic
68
5.5
- Archaic
5
7.2
- Specialized
50
7.4
- Specialized
62
7.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a large warship used in battle' is directly and transparently derivable from 'battle' (armed conflict) + 'cruiser' (a type of warship), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a combat-oriented warship, typically emphasizing speed. This noun–noun compounding pattern is regular in English and common across languages, making the expression immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Battle cruiser joins battle and cruiser, where battle means 'big fight' and cruiser was a 'fast ship'. Navies built these ships with very large guns but lighter armor so they could go faster, so the name shows a warship made for heavy fighting that relies on speed instead of heavy protection.