container ship

noun

kən-ˈtā-nər-ˌship How to pronounce container ship (audio)
variants or less commonly containership
Synonyms of container shipnext
: a ship specially designed or equipped for carrying containerized cargo

Examples of container ship in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Three maritime drones struck a container ship sailing in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria on Wednesday, the country’s defense minister said, the latest in a string of such incidents on NATO’s eastern flank. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 More than 100 drone and missile launches into the strait have been recorded since the war began; in October alone, a container ship and a bulk vessel sank in the waterway. — Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, a container ship sank in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday as Iran ramps up attacks on commercial vessels in an effort to block crude exports in the passageway. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 According to Vanguard, the GFS Pride, a container ship, sank, while the fate of the Alfonso, a tanker, remains unknown. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for container ship

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of container ship was in 1966

Rhymes for container ship

See All Rhymes for container ship

Browse Nearby Words

container port
container ship
containment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Container ship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/container%20ship. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

containership

noun
con·​tain·​er·​ship kən-ˈtā-nər-ˌship How to pronounce containership (audio)
: a ship designed or equipped to carry very large containers of cargo
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All