A warship is a ship built for fighting — it carries guns, missiles, or aircraft, and belongs to a country's navy. It is one word, not two, and it is countable: one warship, three warships.

A warship is a ship built for fightingwarship 是為了打仗而造的船——it carries guns, missiles, or aircraft它裝載槍炮、飛彈、或飛機， and belongs to a country's navy屬於一個國家的海軍。It is one word, not two這是一個字，不是兩個字組合， and it is countable而且是可數名詞：one warship, three warshipsone warship（一艘軍艦）、three warships（三艘軍艦）。

"Warship" is the general word that covers many kinds: a destroyer, a frigate, a submarine, an aircraft carrier are all warships. So you use it when the exact type does not matter, or when you do not know it. News reports use it a lot for exactly that reason — "three warships entered the area" tells you enough.

"Warship" is the general word that covers many kinds"Warship" 是涵蓋很多種類的通稱：a destroyer, a frigate, a submarine, an aircraft carrier are all warships驅逐艦、巡防艦、潛艇、航空母艦全都是 warship。So所以 you use it when the exact type does not matter, or when you do not know it當確切的種類不重要、或你根本不知道是哪一種時，你就會用這個字。News reports use it a lot for exactly that reason新聞報導常用這個字正是因為這樣——"three warships entered the area" tells you enough"three warships entered the area"（三艘軍艦進入該海域）這樣講就夠清楚了。

Notice that it does not mean "a ship that is in a war right now". A navy's warships are warships in peacetime too; the word is about what the ship is built to do, not what it is doing today. Cargo ships and passenger ships are not warships even if a war is happening around them.

Notice that要注意 it does not mean "a ship that is in a war right now"它不是指「現在正在打仗的船」。A navy's warships are warships in peacetime too一個海軍的軍艦在承平時期也一樣是軍艦； the word is about what the ship is built to do, not what it is doing today這個字說的是這艘船是為了做什麼而造的，不是它今天在做什麼。Cargo ships and passenger ships are not warships貨船和客船都不是軍艦， even if a war is happening around them就算周圍正在打仗也一樣。

The word feels a little more formal and more written than spoken. In casual talk people are more likely to say "a navy ship".

The word feels a little more formal and more written than spoken這個字感覺比較正式，比較偏書面而不是口語。In casual talk在輕鬆的對話裡， people are more likely to say "a navy ship"人們比較會說 "a navy ship"（海軍的船）。

"Battleship" is not a synonym either — a battleship is one particular huge, heavily-armed type, and no country really uses them any more, though the word survives in the board game.

"Battleship" is not a synonym either"Battleship" 也不是它的同義詞——a battleship is one particular huge, heavily-armed typebattleship（戰艦）是特指一種又大又重裝武裝的特定類型， and no country really uses them any more現在幾乎沒有國家還在使用這種船了， though the word survives in the board game不過這個字還留在桌遊（打彈珠戰艦遊戲）裡。