Meaning & use
torpedo
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Meanings
nouncountablemilitary
A long, narrow weapon fired from a ship, submarine or aircraft that travels underwater and explodes when it hits a target.
Grammar: Takes an or the: fire a torpedo.
Patterns
- fire a torpedo at something
The submarine fired a torpedo at the cargo ship.
A torpedo struck the hull below the waterline.
Museums display a World War II torpedo.
verbtransitivemilitary
To hit or sink a ship with this weapon.
Grammar: Takes an object: torpedo the vessel.
Patterns
- torpedo something
The destroyer was torpedoed off the coast.
A submarine torpedoed the supply ship at night.
Several merchant vessels were torpedoed during the war.
verbtransitivefigurative
To ruin a plan, deal or negotiation deliberately and completely.
Grammar: Takes an object: torpedo the talks.
Patterns
- torpedo something
One angry email torpedoed the negotiations.
The scandal torpedoed her chances of winning the election.
His late objection torpedoed the whole agreement.
Word forms
| plural | torpedoes |
|---|---|
| third person singular | torpedoes |
| past tense | torpedoed |
| past participle | torpedoed |
| -ing form | torpedoing |
Common combinations
- fire a torpedo
- The crew was ordered to fire a torpedo.
- torpedo tube
- The submarine loaded its torpedo tubes.
- torpedo the deal
- A last-minute lawsuit torpedoed the deal.
- torpedo a ship
- A U-boat torpedoed the ship in the Atlantic.
- torpedo someone's chances
- A poor interview can torpedo your chances.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sabotage
- Sabotage means to damage or spoil something secretly, while torpedo implies a sudden, decisive blow that ends it.
- scupper
- Scupper is a British word for ruining a plan and sounds a bit lighter, while torpedo suggests a more forceful blow.
- wreck
- Wreck is the general word for causing something to fail, and it does not suggest a sudden attack as torpedo does.
- sink
- Sink as a verb means to cause something to go down, and it describes the result for ships more than the weapon itself.
Word family
- torpedoed adjective
- hit or ruined by a torpedo, or wrecked suddenly
- torpedo boat noun
- a small fast warship armed with torpedoes
- torpedo bomber noun
- an aircraft that drops torpedoes
Commonly confused: torpedo or missile?
torpedo vs missile
A missile flies through the air, while a torpedo moves through the water.
Practice
A single careless remark threatened to ___ the whole peace agreement.
Choose one answer.
Torpedo can mean to ruin a plan suddenly and completely. The other verbs do not describe damaging an agreement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “torpedo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.