flagship

[flag-ship] /ˈflægˌʃɪp/
noun
1.
a ship carrying the flag officer or the commander of a fleet, squadron, or the like, and displaying the officer's flag.
2.
the main vessel of a shipping line.
3.
any of the best or largest ships or airplanes operated by a passenger line.
4.
the best or most important one of a group or system:
This store is the flagship of our retail chain.
adjective
5.
being or constituting a flagship.
Origin
1665-75; flag1 + ship
Examples from the web for flagship
  • Gotham's flagship orchestra is keeping busy in the city's increasingly active preseason schedule.
  • flagship missions at risk as astrophysics funding shrinks.
  • The polar bear has become the flagship species in the climate-change discussion.
  • It will always be synonymous with the flagship operation of its heyday, the dreaded prefrontal lobotomy.
  • It is the number one priority for astrophysics and is a flagship mission that cannot be done any other way.
  • It seems churlish to criticize even mildly the flagship public radio news shows-their reliable excellence deserves lavish praise.
  • It's our flagship apartment, the top of the line-with a triple exposure.
  • They're the flagship of this company, because they're spreading over to such a wide audience.
  • It is losing money and subscribers at its flagship channel.
  • The trick for a showcase, typically a flagship store in a big city centre, is to keep the customers rolling in.
British Dictionary definitions for flagship

flagship

/ˈflæɡˌʃɪp/
noun
1.
a ship, esp in a fleet, aboard which the commander of the fleet is quartered
2.
the most important ship belonging to a shipping company
3.
a single item from a related group considered as the most important, often in establishing a public image: the nine o'clock news is the flagship of the BBC
Word Origin and History for flagship
n.

1670s, ship bearing an admiral's flag, from flag (n.) + ship (n.). Figurative use by 1933.

Slang definitions & phrases for flagship

flagship

modifier

: and not one damn word in the nation's flagship papers

noun

The most imposing constituent; premier specimen: This car's the flagship of the line (1955+)