noun · formal
mothership
UK/ˈmʌðə(r)ʃɪp/US/ˈmʌðərʃɪp/MOTH·er·ship
A large vessel or craft that carries or supports smaller ones, especially in space or naval contexts
Examples
“The rescue team returned to the mothership after completing the survey.”
“In the movie the alien mothership hovered above the city.”
“Engineers tested the smaller probes from the mothership in orbit.”
Band 8 sentence
“During the simulation, the probes detached from the mothership, executed autonomous surveys, and docked back precisely under manual oversight.”
Collocations
- orbiting mothership
- return to the mothership
- launch from the mothership
Word family
Common mistakes
The spaceship carried small crafts while the mothership was nearby.→The mothership carried small craft while orbiting.
They returned to a mothership.→They returned to the mothership.
Say it for a higher band
5ship→6spaceship→7+mothership
Synonyms
flagship
Easily confused
spaceship
“The explorers docked with the mothership after their short trip to the asteroid.”
Related words
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In -ship
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