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Definition of torpedo
torpedoes
1 : a weapon for destroying ships by rupturing their hulls below the waterline: such asa : a submarine mineb : a thin cylindrical self-propelled underwater projectile
2 : a small firework that explodes when thrown against a hard object
3 : electric ray
4 : a professional gunman or assassin
5 : submarine 2
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Examples of torpedo in a Sentence
The battleship was sunk by a torpedo fired by a submarine.
that deli's torpedoes are big enough to serve two people
Recent Examples of torpedo from the Web
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The arms approved by the US government for sale to Taiwan include torpedoes, technical support for early warning radar, anti-radiation missiles and missile components, officials from the two governments said.
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He and actress Hedy Lamarr invented a very effective radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes in 1941, using a technique called frequency hopping.
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The sales includes technical support for early warning radar, high speed anti-radiation missiles, torpedoes, and missile components.
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A US official familiar with the deal told CNN that the package would include advanced missiles and torpedoes including the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon and MK 48 6AT Heavy Weight Torpedoes.
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Written by Samuel V. Franco and Evan Kilgore, Mayday 109 recounts how Kennedy, as the 26-year-old skipper of a Navy patrol torpedo boat, helped lead 10 of his 12 crewmen to safety after their craft was cut in two by a Japanese destroyer.
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On June 8, 1967, the intelligence ship USS Liberty operating in international waters in the Mediterranean off the coast of Gaza, was attacked by Israeli warplanes and torpedo boats, killing 33 sailors and one civilian and injuring 174.
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This is the season your parents are bombarded with the kind of warnings previously associated with incoming torpedoes.
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The archaeological remains, including a 15-inch torpedo tube molded into the bow stem and the top of a bronze 11-foot propeller blade, are draped with white anemones 300 feet (90 meters) below the surface, officials said.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'torpedo'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Like the adjective "torpid," "torpedo" can be traced back to the Latin verb torpēre, meaning "to be sluggish or numb." In Latin torpedo referred to stiffness or numbness, and also to the crampfish or electric ray. "Torpedo" first entered English as a name for the electric ray. During the Napoleonic Wars, the American inventor Robert Fulton experimented with an explosive charge for use against warships which he called a "torpedo" (and which we would now refer to as a mine), after the electric ray's ability to incapacitate creatures it comes in contact with. Fulton was also the inventor of the "Nautilus," an early hand-powered submarine which was one of the precursors of the vessels that would deliver the more familiar cigar-shaped torpedoes with such devastating effects during the 20th century's two World Wars.
Origin and Etymology of torpedo
Latin, literally, stiffness, numbness, from torpēre to be sluggish or numb — more at torpid
torpedo
Definition of torpedo
torpedoed
;torpedoing
\-ˈpē-də-wiŋ\transitive verb
1 : to hit or sink (a ship) with a naval torpedo : strike or destroy by torpedo
2 : to destroy or nullify altogether : wreck torpedo a plan
Examples of torpedo in a Sentence
The submarine torpedoed the battleship.
Her injury torpedoed her goal of competing in the Olympics.
First Known Use of torpedo
circa 1879
TORPEDO Defined for English Language Learners
torpedo
playDefinition of torpedo for English Language Learners
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: a bomb that is shaped like a tube and that is fired underwater
torpedo
Definition of torpedo for English Language Learners
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: to hit or sink (a ship) with a torpedo
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: to destroy or stop (something) completely
TORPEDO Defined for Kids
Definition of torpedo for Students
torpedoes
: a long narrow self-propelled underwater weapon used for blowing up ships
History for torpedo
In 1776, David Bushnell, a supporter of the American cause in the Revolutionary War, built a wooden submarine with a detachable container of gunpowder that could be hooked to an enemy ship and set to explode after the submarine steered clear. Bushnell is believed to have dubbed the container with the Latin word torpedo, “electric ray,” that is, a fish that delivers an electric shock. Though Bushnell's submarine and explosive device never damaged a British vessel, the name torpedo was later applied to modern weapons used to attack ships.
Definition of torpedo for Students
torpedoed
;torpedoing
: to hit with or destroy by a torpedo
Learn More about torpedo
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for torpedo Spanish Central: Translation of torpedo Nglish: Translation of torpedo for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of torpedo for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about torpedo
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