Skip to main content
torpedo

torpedo

164 6.4
A long underwater weapon that moves by itself and explodes on contact
  • noun
  • /tɔrˈpiːdoʊ/
  • Specialized
: torpedo
  • Most of the torpedo damage to the fleet had occurred by 8:25 a.m.
  • torpedo plane
  • torpedo attack
  • one torpedo

Pearl Harbor, the guns are firing, the torpedoes are launched, the bombs are dropping.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The SS James Oglethorpe was damaged by a submarine torpedo and sank in the South Atlantic in March 1943.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The military tested a new type of torpedo designed for underwater combat.

  • But if that was really a torpedo, then what can that sea monster really be?

  • The British will think it's a Chinese aerial torpedo.

  • As soon as she received her torpedo hits, she began listing rapidly to port.

    Academic text (1991)
  • I was a gunner on a torpedo boat.

  • That same day the liner Arabia was sunk by torpedoes off the Greek coast.

  • The Raleigh was struck by one torpedo, and the Utah received two hits in succession, capsizing at 8:13 a.m.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The submarine launched a torpedo towards the enemy vessel during the exercise.

  • After detecting the target, the crew prepared to fire a torpedo from the launch tube.

Synonyms

submarine torpedo
vstorpedo
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A long underwater weapon fired by a submarine to hit ships

is the general underwater self propelled weapon regardless of launcher
heavy torpedo
vstorpedo
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A large underwater weapon launched from submarines with a very powerful warhead to sink big ships

is the general underwater weapon without emphasis on large warhead
aerial torpedo
vstorpedo
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A weapon released from a plane that moves under water to hit ships or submarines

is the general underwater weapon not specifically launched from aircraft
homing torpedo
vstorpedo
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A weapon that finds and follows an enemy ship or submarine using sound

relies on direct contact or external steering rather than sensing targets
wire-guided torpedo
vstorpedo
  • Specialized
8.6

An underwater weapon that moves by itself and is steered by a wire from the ship that fired it

moves under its own power without a continuous wire connection
heavyweight torpedo
vstorpedo
  • Specialized
7.9

A large underwater weapon with a very powerful explosive charge that submarines use to attack ships

is the general size neutral weapon not defined by warhead weight

Idioms

To ruin their chances of success

Compounds

torpedo tube
  • Specialized
7 7.0

A tube in a warship or submarine that fires a torpedo

torpedo boat
  • Specialized
2 6.3

A small fast military boat that fires underwater bombs near the coast

submarine torpedo
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A long underwater weapon fired by a submarine to hit ships

heavy torpedo
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A large underwater weapon launched from submarines with a very powerful warhead to sink big ships

aerial torpedo
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A weapon released from a plane that moves under water to hit ships or submarines

1 8.1

A small fast navy boat that carries torpedoes to attack ships

1 9.9

A small navy ship that protects larger ships by attacking fast boats with torpedoes

bangalore torpedo
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A long metal tube filled with explosives used to make a safe path through barbed wire or mines

homing torpedo
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A weapon that finds and follows an enemy ship or submarine using sound

heavyweight torpedo
  • Specialized
7.9

A large underwater weapon with a very powerful explosive charge that submarines use to attack ships

wire-guided torpedo
  • Specialized
8.6

An underwater weapon that moves by itself and is steered by a wire from the ship that fired it

How Powerful

ballistic missile
  • Specialized
43 5.1
anti-submarine rocket
  • Specialized
7.3
torpedo
  • Specialized
164 6.4
naval gun
  • Specialized
1 6.8
small arm
  • Specialized
26 4.9

Surface Forms

torpedo singular
torpedoes plural

Etymology

Torpedo comes from the Latin word torpere, which means 'to be numb'. It was first used for an electric ray that could 'numb' or stun fish, and later the name was given to the long underwater weapon that can stun or destroy ships.