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white ensign

noun

  1. the British naval ensign, consisting of the red cross of St. George on a white field, with the British union occupying the upper quarter along the hoist.


White Ensign

noun

  1. the ensign of the Royal Navy and the Royal Yacht Squadron, having a red cross on a white background with the Union Jack at the upper corner of the vertical edge alongside the hoist Compare Red Ensign Blue Ensign


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Word History and Origins

Origin of white ensign1

First recorded in 1875–80

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Example Sentences

Running up the White Ensign, the screens were dropped, and every available gun opened fire.

I opened fire with my starboard gun, hoisting white ensign at the main.

Stars and stripes on one shoulder, the white ensign on the other!

Of the sixteen cruisers which formed the wings, seven were French—and every warship of the whole lot was flying the White Ensign!

From a flag-staff on one corner of this fluttered a red and white ensign, which gave way on Sundays to a Grinnell flag.

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