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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
Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
The third Charlotte ship, a patrol frigate, was manned by the Coast Guard during World War II.
—Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2026
Spain will send its Christopher Columbus frigate to Cyprus, joining France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and other Greek navy ships, its defense ministry said in a statement.
—Jasmine Green, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi identified it as the frigate IRIS Dena, saying it was lost 2,000 miles from Iran’s shores.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Frigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frigate. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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frigate
noun
