Phrase guide

hell ship

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A ship (sailing vessel) with extremely inhumane living conditions or with a reputation for cruelty among the crew, especially one of those used by the Japanese to transport Allied prisoners of war and Asian slave labourers out of the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Hong Kong, and Singapore in World War II.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

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Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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