frigate

American  

[frig-it] / ˈfrɪg ɪt /

noun

• frigates
  plural

1. a fast naval vessel of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, generally having a lofty ship rig and heavily armed on one or two decks.

2. any of various types of modern naval vessels ranging in size from a destroyer escort to a cruiser, frequently armed with guided missiles and used for aircraft carrier escort duty, shore bombardment, and miscellaneous combat functions.

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frigate British  

/ ˈfrɪɡɪt /

noun

1. a medium-sized square-rigged warship of the 18th and 19th centuries

2. 1. a warship larger than a corvette and smaller than a destroyer

   2. (formerly) a warship larger than a destroyer and smaller than a cruiser

   3. a small escort vessel

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• frigates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of frigate

1575–85; < Middle French frégate < Italian fregata, Sicilian fragata (> Spanish, Catalan, Pg); of obscure origin

Compare meaning

How does frigate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• frigate vs. destroyer
• frigate vs. corvette

Explanation

A frigate is a large boat that's used by a military during wartime. If you join the Navy, you may be assigned to work on a frigate. Ahoy! The word frigate has been used for a variety of seagoing vessels ever since the late 15th century. Over time, it's generally referred to larger and larger boats — the original frigates had oars and sails. One thing most frigates have had in common is maneuverability, or the ability to move with speed and agility. Today's frigate often carries a guided missile launcher.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

frigate frigates

Denmark and Russia were at a war of words Tuesday after Danish authorities accused a Russian frigate of firing flares at a Danish military helicopter.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

He inserted himself into negotiations for the Air Force One and the F-35 jet fighter programs, directed design changes to the Constellation-class frigate and championed the creation of Trump-class battleships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The upcoming frigate programme in particular is "a huge opportunity", Papperger said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Russian frigate, Neustrashimy, was also being monitored by a French military aircraft which made radio contact with the warship asking it to clarify its intentions, the BBC has been told.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Two more gulls flew past, and then a frigate bird.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

In March, it completed the acquisition of naval shipyard NVL, partly in the expectation that it would secure a German order for six naval frigates that later fell through.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

The Americans weren’t exactly winning anyway, but Jefferson doubled-down and sent more war frigates.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Cammell Laird, for instance, now builds the bow sections for the Type 26 frigates and transports them on barges from their Birkenhead base to Govan on the Clyde.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Der Spiegel magazine and the Financial Times reported the German government is dropping a plan to build six F126 frigates, in what would have been the biggest project in the history of the country’s navy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

They turned over a dozen frigates, well armed and fully manned—a dozen frigates!”

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Related Words

• sailboat
• ship
• vessel
• warship