torpedo

verb

torpedoed; torpedoing tȯr-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

Did you know?

Torpedo comes to English by way of Latin torpēdō, which has two quite different meanings. It refers to a state of inertness, sluggishness, or lethargy, and it refers to a creature also known as the electric ray. When English speakers borrowed the Latin word, it was to apply it with this second meaning; in early 16th century English torpedo referred to those round-bodied short-tailed rays that are naturally equipped with a pair of electric organs. (The ancient Greeks reportedly used electric rays to numb the pain of surgery and childbirth.) The most familiar use of torpedo today, referring specifically to the cylindrical underwater naval weapon, dates to the 1866 development of the self-propelled torpedo by British engineer Robert Whitehead—but that use built on a century-old employment of torpedo in referring to another invention. In 1776 a small submersible vessel developed by American inventor David Bushnell was used (unsuccessfully) in an assault on a British ship in New York harbor. Bushnell was reported to have named the vessel “American Turtle or Torpedo.” He didn’t stick with the appellation, but it likely informed Robert Fulton’s use of torpedo for his own underwater explosive devices in the early 19th century, and it laid the groundwork for the word’s application to Whitehead’s torpedo.

Examples of torpedo in a Sentence

The submarine torpedoed the battleship.

Her injury torpedoed her goal of competing in the Olympics.

Recent Examples on the Web

Steyer didn’t have a major gaffe or scandal that torpedoed his campaign. —Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026

The goal of all this havoc is not to destroy democracy, according to Vergara—though that might be a welcome side effect, to some—but to torpedo the rule of law and thereby protect illicit financial gains. —Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026

Republicans hold a 12-to-10 majority in the committee, so losing two votes probably would torpedo Blanche’s confirmation. —Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026

Three years after leaving, Fulmer broke his silence on the infidelity scandal that torpedoed his career in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. —Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

derivative of torpedo entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing torpedo

• bangalore torpedo
• motor torpedo boat
• torpedo bat
• torpedo boat
• torpedo bomber
• torpedo tube

Rhymes for torpedo

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

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Kids Definition

torpedo

1 of 2 noun

tor·​pe·​do tȯr-ˈpēd-ō 

plural torpedoes

1

: a thin cylindrical self-propelled submarine weapon

2

: a small firework that explodes when thrown against a hard object

torpedo

2 of 2 verb

torpedoed; doing

tȯr-ˈpēd-ə-wiŋ

: to hit or sink with or as if with a torpedo

Etymology

from Latin torpedo, literally "numbness," from torpēre "to be numb" — related to torpid

Word Origin

The Latin verb torpēre, meaning "to be numb," gave rise to the noun torpedo, "numbness." This noun was borrowed into English in the 16th century to refer to a long round fish that gave a numbing electric shock to anyone who touched it. This fish was also called an electric ray, a crampfish, or a numbfish. In the early 19th century, the American inventor Robert Fulton developed a floating device that exploded when it touched a ship. He called this device a torpedo because it reminded him of the electric ray. Since then the torpedo has been modernized and is fired at its target. Although it still looks somewhat like the fish, its effects can certainly be more than numbing.