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Glite Dictionary
heavy torpedo

heavy torpedo

8.3
A large underwater weapon launched from submarines with a very powerful warhead to sink big ships
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : torpedo pesado
  • The submarine launched a heavy torpedo at the enemy ship.

Examples

  • Modern navies rely on heavy torpedoes for their increased range and devastating warheads.

  • The submarine was equipped with heavy torpedoes designed to sink large enemy ships.

  • Handling a heavy torpedo in the cramped space of a submarine requires special equipment and training.

  • A heavy torpedo can cause significant damage.

  • The submarine launched a heavy torpedo towards the enemy ship, ensuring a powerful impact.

  • During the exercise, the crew practiced deploying a heavy torpedo from great distances.

  • Engineers designed the heavy torpedo to penetrate the toughest ship hulls with its massive warhead.

Synonyms

torpedo
vsheavy torpedo
  • Specialized
127 6.4

A long underwater weapon that moves by itself and explodes on contact

specifies a much larger warhead and standoff submarine use rather than a general device
heavyweight torpedo
vsheavy torpedo
  • Specialized
7.9

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

means the same but appears as a different written form
submarine torpedo
vsheavy torpedo
  • Specialized
5.6

A long underwater weapon fired by a submarine to hit ships

focuses on having a large warhead and standoff attack role rather than launch platform

Surface Forms

heavy torpedo singular
heavy torpedoes plural

Morphology

heavy + torpedo

The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'heavy' (large/weighty) modifies 'torpedo' (an underwater explosive missile), so the meaning 'a large/weighty torpedo' is directly derivable from the parts. This follows a straightforward adjective+noun pattern common across languages and would be understood by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words, even if the term is somewhat technical.

Etymology

Heavy torpedo comes from navies calling the biggest, most powerful torpedo 'heavy' because it carried a very large explosive head and could sink big ships. That's why the phrase means 'a large, powerful torpedo'.