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In the 17th–19th centuries, a frigate was a three-masted, fully rigged sailing ship, often carrying 30–40 guns in all. Smaller and faster than ships of the line (the principal vessels of naval warfare), frigates served as scouts or as escorts protecting merchant convoys; they also cruised the seas as merchant raiders themselves. In World War II, Britain revived the term frigate using it to describe escort ships equipped with sonar and depth charges, and used these ships to guard convoys from submarines. In the postwar decades, the frigate also adopted an antiaircraft role, adding radar and surface-to-air missiles. Modern frigates can sail at a speed of 30 knots and carry a crew of 200.
Examples of frigate in a Sentence
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
The organization confirmed that naval drones are part of the effort, as are frigates (warships) and maritime patrol aircraft.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 12 Apr. 2025
Destroyers and frigates typically require a year to reach initial operational capability by undergoing various basic training exercises, Wang added.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
During the unprecedented China's naval circumnavigation of Australia, which took place from mid-February to early March, it was reported that the flotilla, consisting of a destroyer, a frigate, and a replenishment ship, likely deployed with a nuclear-powered submarine.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Frigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frigate. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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frigate
noun
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