How could HMS Hood remain the world's largest warship?

Was HMS Hood considered the world's largest warship by tonnage or by length?

The label could rest on either measure, because retaining first place in any prominent size category was enough to support the prestige claim.

The question gives HMS Hood as 42,462 tons standard and 48,360 tons at full load, then compares her length and displacement with Yamato, Tirpitz, and Essex. A public claim to the world's largest warship could rest on whichever prominent category still left Hood in first place. This distinction separates technical measurements from the prestige language surrounding a navy's flagship. Hood could therefore retain the title after newer ships surpassed her by one measure but not another.