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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Fireship

Pronunciation varies by accent · noun

Meaning

(nautical, historical) A wooden ship set alight and then sent floating into an enemy flotilla, with the aim of spreading the fire among them..

Definitions by Sense

  1. (nautical, historical) A wooden ship set alight and then sent floating into an enemy flotilla, with the aim of spreading the fire among them.
  2. (vulgar, slang) A diseased prostitute.

Example Sentences

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.

Synonyms for fireship

brulot

Antonyms for fireship

Related Words

pirateshipfloating lightpirate shipshipentinefrigatesailshipdrakefire pikeq-shipspyshipfireballfloating beaconwhaleshipspanish armadalongshipfirefloatfoxerlanding shipsealshiparsenal ship

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does fireship mean?

Fireship 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..

What is a synonym for fireship?

Common synonyms include brulot.

What is the opposite of fireship?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use fireship in a sentence?

Fireships were famously used by Sir Francis Drake when fighting the Spanish Armada of 1588.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.