1. a large sailing ship with three or four masts that was used especially by the Spanish from the 15th to 17th centuries
Usage: historical; nautical

Examples

• The Spanish galleon was loaded with gold from the New World.
• Pirates often attacked treasure-laden galleons in the Caribbean.
• The museum displayed a model of a 16th-century galleon.
• Divers discovered the wreck of an ancient galleon off the coast.
• The galleon’s massive sails caught the wind as it left port.
• Many galleons were used to transport goods between Spain and its colonies.