Meaning & use
large fleet
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Meanings
nouncountable
A group of many ships, aircraft, or road vehicles owned or operated together by one organization or country.
Grammar: Countable, so it takes a determiner: 'a large fleet', 'the large fleet'. The plural is 'large fleets'.
Patterns
- a large fleet of something
- the company's large fleet
- operate/maintain a large fleet
The shipping company operates a large fleet of container ships.
The airline has a large fleet of modern, fuel-efficient planes.
The city added a large fleet of electric buses to reduce pollution.
nouncountablemilitary
A country's entire group of naval warships.
Grammar: Often used with 'the': 'the large fleet was stationed...'. It can also be part of a proper name.
Patterns
- a large fleet of warships
- the country's large fleet
- send a large fleet
The country sent a large fleet to protect its coastal waters.
A large fleet of destroyers and frigates was assembled for the exercise.
Word forms
| plural | large fleets |
|---|
Common combinations
- a large fleet of ships
- A large fleet of ships arrived at the port at dawn.
- a large fleet of vehicles
- The delivery company uses a large fleet of vehicles to reach every neighborhood.
- maintain a large fleet
- It costs a lot of money to maintain such a large fleet.
- a large fleet of aircraft
- The military keeps a large fleet of aircraft ready for emergencies.
- operate a large fleet
- They operate a large fleet of taxis across the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
- armada
- Use 'armada' mainly for a large group of warships or a historic naval force; it sounds more dramatic and is less common in everyday business English.
- convoy
- A 'convoy' is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for protection or as a unit, not necessarily owned by one organization.
- flotilla
- A 'flotilla' is a small group of ships or boats, often military; it is usually smaller than a large fleet.
Word family
Commonly confused: large fleet or fleet? large fleet or fleet of foot?
large fleet vs fleet
'Fleet' alone can mean a group of vehicles, but it is also an adjective meaning 'fast' (a fleet runner). 'Large fleet' always means a big group, never 'a fast group'.
large fleet vs fleet of foot
This idiom means 'able to run fast', not 'a group of vehicles'. Do not mix it with 'large fleet'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'large fleet' correctly?
Choose one answer.
We say 'a large fleet of + plural noun': a large fleet of delivery vans. Option 1 misses 'of'. Option 2 misses the article 'a'. Option 3 uses 'for' instead of 'of', which does not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “large fleet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.