Definition of "battle-cruiser" []

• A type of warship equal in size or larger than a battleship, and of greater speed, but with less armour and fewer guns. Introduced ca. 1908 and forming the leading squadrons of WWI battle fleets but obsolescent by WWII, having been replaced by the "fast battleship" type. (noun)
• In fiction, a warship of intermediate capability between cruisers and battleships (noun)

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• "You like your military SF to involve all-out warfare with battle-cruiser spaceships and weapons platforms, and the deeper the space the better."
• "Two of the glints grew brighter and larger and, sure enough, a battle-cruiser and a dropship came into view, surrounded by fighters, which took most of the damage."
• "The battle-cruiser landed first, disgorging its contents of siege tanks and marines in full combat gear."