surface ship
2
4.9
- noun
- /ˈsɜrfɪs ʃɪp/
- Specialized
:
buque de superficie
- Two surface ships from the navy participated in the humanitarian mission off the coast.
- submarines and surface ships
And in a world we have lots of submarines and you have lots of aircraft and you have missiles that are land based that can hit those surface ships.
- And in a world we have lots of submarines and you have lots of aircraft and you have missiles that are land based that can hit those surface ships.
Examples
-
On 7 August, the government launched a "sovereignty operation" codenamed Operation Nanook, sending two surface ships, a submarine, and 700 personnel into military maneuvers along the Canadian Arctic.
Academic text (2008) -
Since the end of the war, he had been involved in the production of surface ships at the shipyard.
Academic text (1999) -
Most of the time our surface ships are at sea, they are not protecting us from anything.
Blog text (34) -
The Navy has been affected more than any other service by the change in combat restrictions, particularly the opening of all surface ships to women.
Academic text (1996) -
By July 1993, 700 women were at sea in surface ships.
Academic text (1996) -
Instead, they wasted their funds on conventional surface ships, which had no impact on the war.
Blog text (20) -
With respect to surface ships, the USSR/Russia has always dominated the Arctic.
Academic text (2000) -
His efforts have led to innovative methods to reduce radiated noise and the ship's own platform noise for both submarines and surface ships.
Academic text (2004) -
In twenty-six years of naval service, Dr. Wells served in a variety of surface ships, including command of a destroyer squadron and a guided missile destroyer.
Blog text (11) -
The battleship was a formidable surface ship that patrolled the ocean.
Synonyms
171
6.3
A large warship with a flat deck for aircraft to take off and land
140
3.6
A navy boat built for fighting at sea
68
5.5
A large ship used in war with thick metal armor and big guns
62
7.3
A small fast warship with strong weapons that protects larger ships from submarines and planes
59
3.8
A very large war ship with a long flat deck where military planes take off and land
7
6.6
A small armed boat that moves in shallow water near coasts and rivers
7
3.5
A small boat that watches for danger and protects a coast or harbor
5
8.2
A modern warship larger than a destroyer but smaller than a cruiser
2
7.9
A very large warship like a battleship or aircraft carrier with heavy weapons
1
6.3
A small fast military boat that fires underwater bombs near the coast
A ship a government uses for fighting at sea
A small navy ship that protects larger ships by attacking fast boats with torpedoes
A large armed ship that uses sails and carries heavy guns before the mid 1800s
A small military ship with guns on one deck used to fight at sea
Antonyms
How Big
59
3.8
- Specialized
50
7.4
- Specialized
62
7.3
- Specialized
2
4.9
- Archaic
7
9.9
- Specialized
43
8.2
- Specialized
7
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a ship that operates on the surface of the water' is directly and transparently built from 'surface' (the top/exposed layer or water's surface) + 'ship' (a vessel), following standard attributive noun composition. This locational, compositional logic (as in 'surface vessel') is cross-linguistically common and would be immediately clear to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Surface ship comes from the navy. The word surface means the top of the water and ship is a boat that stays there, so the term refers to warships that operate on the water's surface rather than 'under water'.