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Pronunciation varies by accent · noun
(nautical, historical) A wooden ship set alight and then sent floating into an enemy flotilla, with the aim of spreading the fire among them..
Fireships were famously used by Sir Francis Drake when fighting the Spanish Armada of 1588.
His attempt in 208 to cross the Yangtse was frustrated in the famous battle of Ch'ih-pi, in which his immense fleet was destroyed by his enemies' fireships, and most of his army slain.
Use fire ship when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Fire ship means (nautical, historical) A wooden ship set alight and then sent floating into an enemy flotilla, with the aim of spreading the fire among them..
Common synonyms include brulot.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Fireships were famously used by Sir Francis Drake when fighting the Spanish Armada of 1588.
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