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tor·pe·do | \ tȯr-ˈpē-(ˌ)dō 
\
\ plural torpedoes
Definition of torpedo
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a weapon for destroying ships by rupturing their hulls below the waterline: such as
a : a submarine mine
b : 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
torpedo
verbtorpedoed; torpedoing\ tȯr-ˈpē-də-wiŋ \
\Definition of torpedo (Entry 2 of 2)
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
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Synonyms for torpedo
Synonyms: Noun
- Cuban sandwich,
- grinder,
- hero,
- hoagie
- (also hoagy),
- Italian sandwich,
- po'boy
- (also poor boy),
- sub,
- submarine
Examples of torpedo in a Sentence
Noun
The battleship was sunk by a torpedo fired by a submarine.
that deli's torpedoes are big enough to serve two people Verb
The submarine torpedoed the battleship.
Her injury torpedoed her goal of competing in the Olympics.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun After multiple torpedo strikes, the Oklahoma capsized and 429 crew members, including Wasielewski, were killed.
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Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, "Remains of Detroit seaman killed at Pearl Harbor identified," 13 Feb. 2020 Miller has just finished serving breakfast, and was sorting laundry when the West Virginia was hit by nine Japanese torpedoes and two bombs.
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CBS News, "Next U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to be named after African American Pearl Harbor hero," 19 Jan. 2020 Down the stretch, head coach Steve Kerr wanted to rest players for the playoffs, but forward Draymond Green hijacked the team and demanded a damn-the-torpedoes run for the record.
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Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, "49ers face spooky Halloween matchup: Beware the ‘Curse of Winning’," 30 Oct. 2019 Early reports from the ship’s chartering company indicate that Kokuka Courageous may have been the victim of a torpedo attack or mine and was attacked twice over a 3-hour period, resulting in a hole in the starboard hull above the waterline.
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Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Two Oil Tankers Attacked in the Middle East, U.S. Destroyer Rescues Crew," 13 June 2019 He was killed, along with 646 others, when a Japanese torpedo ignited the ship’s aircraft bomb magazine on Nov. 23.
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Russ Read, Washington Examiner, "Doris Miller's other legacy: How a hero of Pearl Harbor helped pave the way for black sailors," 20 Jan. 2020 Miller was assigned to the aircraft carrier Liscome Bay, which less than a year after Pearl Harbor, was sunk by a Japanese torpedo.
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CBS News, "Next U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to be named after African American Pearl Harbor hero," 19 Jan. 2020 The researchers found that delaying the start of benefits until age 70 and tapping retirement funds instead could reduce the tax torpedo’s effect.
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Liz Weston, oregonlive, "Liz Weston: Tax preparers who don’t keep up with Social Security trends may give bad advice," 15 Dec. 2019 The ship had completed its 19th convoy in the European Theater on Sept. 26, 1918, and was sailing through the Bristol Channel when it was struck by a torpedo fired by the German submarine UB-91, according to the Coast Guard Historian’s Office.
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BostonGlobe.com, "A World War I veteran from Rhode Island was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart medal Wednesday from the US Coast Guard more than a century after he was killed in action.," 13 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The margin hasn’t been that big since the spring of 2007, less than a year before the Great Recession torpedoed the economy.
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Washington Post, "Stocks recover after economic worries set off an early skid," 7 Aug. 2019 He had been reassigned to the USS Liscome Bay, an escort carrier torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine on Nov. 24, 1943, during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands.
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Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, "Navy names aircraft carrier for Dorie Miller, black sailor from Waco and unlikely Pearl Harbor hero," 18 Jan. 2020 Bad habits prevalent in earlier losses to Baylor and Oklahoma returned and torpedoed the Longhorns (12-5, 2-3 Big 12).
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Nick Moyle, ExpressNews.com, "BKC Texas 1-19," 18 Jan. 2020 La Stella, who hit .300 with 16 homers and 44 RBIs in 78 games before a tibia fracture torpedoed his breakout season, will make $3.25 million in his final year of arbitration, an increase of $1.9 million over his 2019 salary.
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Los Angeles Times, "All arbitration-eligible Angels except outfielder Brian Goodwin agree to contracts," 10 Jan. 2020 The fireworks show is the latest in a long list of events torpedoed amid the city’s ongoing political unrest, including major business conferences, races, big-ticket concerts, and a major music festival.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Hong Kong has canceled its traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks show over security concerns, the latest popular event to be scrapped in the Asian financial hub amid ongoing pro-democracy protests.," 19 Dec. 2019 Penn State will sink from No. 4 in the CFP rankings after Captain Fleck’s crew torpedoed the Nittany Lions.
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Teddy Greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "5 things we learned about Big Ten football after Week 11, including ‘elite’ coaching at Minnesota and a day to remember for Lovie Smith. Plus, our updated power rankings.," 10 Nov. 2019 For Newsom, torpedoing Atkins’ signature legislation may have long-term political ripples.
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Julie Cart, The Mercury News, "Demise of key environment bill could escalate California’s water wars," 20 Sep. 2019 Not to be lost among all of the fish jokes is that fact that torpedoing a salmon several hundred feet in the air is a significant feat of engineering.
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Scottie Andrew, CNN, "The internet is going crazy over a 'salmon cannon' that shoots fish over a dam," 12 Aug. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for torpedo
torpedo
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of torpedo
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a bomb that is shaped like a tube and that is fired underwater
torpedo
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of torpedo (Entry 2 of 2)
: to hit or sink (a ship) with a torpedo
somewhat informal : to destroy or stop (something) completely
See the full definition for torpedo in the English Language Learners Dictionary
torpedo
nountor·pe·do | \ tȯr-ˈpē-dō \
\ plural torpedoes
Kids Definition of torpedo
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a long narrow self-propelled underwater weapon used for blowing up ships
torpedo
verbtorpedoed; torpedoing
Kids Definition of torpedo (Entry 2 of 2)
: to hit with or destroy by a torpedo
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Time Traveler for torpedo
The first known use of torpedo was circa 1520
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