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

Examples

• Spanish galleons carried treasure from the New World back to Europe.
• The museum displayed a model of a 16th-century galleon.
• Pirates often attacked merchant galleons loaded with gold and silver.
• The galleons were heavily armed to protect their valuable cargo.
• Explorers used galleons to navigate across the Atlantic Ocean.
• The sunken galleon was discovered by underwater archaeologists.