convoy
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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the act of convoying.
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the protection provided by an escort.
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a ship, fleet, group of vehicles, etc., accompanied by a protecting escort.
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an armed force, warship, etc., that escorts, especially for protection.
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any group of military vehicles traveling together under the same orders.
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Citizens Band Radio Slang. two or more CB-equipped vehicles traveling together.
noun
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a group of merchant ships with an escort of warships
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a group of land vehicles assembled to travel together
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the act of travelling or escorting by convoy (esp in the phrase in convoy )
verb
Synonym Usage
See accompany.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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convoysimple
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convoyssimple
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have convoyedperfect
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has convoyedperfect
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am convoyingprogressive
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are convoyingprogressive
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is convoyingprogressive
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have been convoyingperfect progressive
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has been convoyingperfect progressive
Past
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convoyedsimple
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had convoyedperfect
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was convoyingprogressive
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were convoyingprogressive
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had been convoyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of convoy
1325–75; Middle English convoyen < Middle French convoier, Anglo-French conveier to convey
Explanation
To travel in a convoy is to be escorted by a group of protective vehicles. If you are a teenage rock star with millions of fans, you probably need a security convoy just to go visit your grandmother. If the President visits your town, you may see a huge convoy of secret service vehicles, limousines, and police cars. Ships can also travel in convoys, with those carrying valuable items surrounded by warships. As a verb, convoy describes the act of traveling together, like when your family and other families convoy to a camp ground, driving in a group, making stops together, and waving to each other on the highway.
Vocabulary lists containing convoy
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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.
The boats were located by the Mexican Navy and the crews are safe, a spokesman for the Nuestra America Convoy said.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
"We express our deep concern for the two Mexican vessels transporting humanitarian aid to Cuba as part of the Our America Convoy," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media platform X.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
"The security situation has improved, stability has been achieved, roads have become safer, there are fewer attacks," said the Senegal-based founder of Convoy Africa, a consultancy which advises Russian and foreign companies.
From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026
Yet as much as he misses the Convoy app, he’s leery.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 5, 2024
Except now, as he left the serenity of the Concho Valley and headed for the Convoy.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
