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corvette

American  
[kawr-vet] / kɔrˈvɛt /
Also corvet

noun

  1. a warship of the old sailing class, having a flush deck and usually one tier of guns.

  2. a lightly armed, fast ship used mostly for convoy escort and ranging in size between a destroyer and a gunboat.


corvette British  
/ kɔːˈvɛt /

noun

  1. a lightly armed escort warship

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of corvette

1630–40; < French, Middle French < Middle Dutch corver pursuit boat (derivative of corf fishing boat, literally, basket), with suffix altered to -ette -ette

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A driver behind the wheel of a Corvette veered off the 60 Freeway on Wednesday morning and crashed into a car dealership in City of Industry and it was all caught on video.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Joseph said the department got a break Wednesday when a license plate reader flagged the location of the Corvette, prompting a police response.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

They get cocky, buy a new car — a Corvette Stingray, banana yellow.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

For the last 45 years, I have had at least one Corvette in my garage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 28, 2025

Just before I climbed aboard the bus, I was happy to see Jake roll up in his Corvette.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam