torpedo boat

noun

Updated on: 2 May 2018

Definition of torpedo boat

: a boat designed for launching torpedoes; specifically : a small very fast boat with one or more torpedo tubes

Recent Examples of torpedo boat from the Web

Sherman, meanwhile, recounted John F. Kennedy’s heroism during World War II as commander of the torpedo boat PT-109.

— james sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "When the Cuban missile crisis almost became war," 17 Apr. 2018
What isn’t disputed is that the ensuing battle saw the lightly armed Pueblo engage enemy torpedo boats and fighter aircraft.

— mac william bishop, NBC News, "North Korean ex-assassin recalls 1968: ‘The year that mattered most’," 26 Jan. 2018
Just two days later, North Korean torpedo boats and submarine chasers successfully surrounded and captured the USS Pueblo, a Navy intelligence ship patrolling international waters that had few weapons with which to defend itself.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Fifty Years Ago, North Korea Captured an American Ship and Nearly Started a Nuclear War," 24 Jan. 2018
During the war, Kennedy commanded a patrol torpedo boat in the South Pacific.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Why JFK Kept a Coconut Shell in the Oval Office," 2 Aug. 2017
This particular ship was a UB-II torpedo boat, produced between 1915 and 1916, roughly 88 feet long and 20 feet wide.

— Smithsonian, "Intact WWI German U-Boat Found Near Belgium," 20 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'torpedo boat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of torpedo boat

1810

in the meaning defined above

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