torpedo

American  

[tawr-pee-doh] / tɔrˈpi doʊ /

noun

torpedoes plural

1. a self-propelled, cigar-shaped missile containing explosives and often equipped with a homing device, launched from a submarine or other warship, for destroying surface vessels or other submarines.

2. any of various submarine explosive devices for destroying hostile ships, as a mine.

3. a cartridge of gunpowder, dynamite, or the like, exploded in an oil well to facilitate the extraction of oil from the well.

4. a detonating device fastened to the top of a rail so as to be exploded by the pressure of a locomotive or car, thus giving an audible signal to members of a train crew.

5. any of various other explosive devices, as a firework that consists of an explosive wrapped up with gravel in a piece of tissue paper and that detonates when thrown forcibly on the ground or against a hard surface.

6. Also called torpedo fish.  an electric ray, especially Torpedo nobiliana, of the Atlantic Ocean.

7. an electric catfish, Malapterurus electricus, inhabiting waters of tropical central Africa and the Nile valley.

8. Informal. a hero sandwich.

9. Slang. a gangster hired as a murderer.

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verb (used with object)

torpedoed, torpedoing

1. to attack, hit, damage, or destroy with torpedoes.

2. to explode a torpedo in (an oil well) to facilitate the extraction of oil.

3. to undermine, ruin, or destroy.

   He torpedoed our plans.

verb (used without object)

torpedoed, torpedoing

1. to attack, damage, or sink a ship with torpedoes.

torpedo British  

/ tɔːˈpiːdəʊ /

noun

1. a cylindrical self-propelled weapon carrying explosives that is launched from aircraft, ships, or submarines and follows an underwater path to hit its target

2. obsolete a submarine mine

3. a firework containing gravel and a percussion cap that explodes when dashed against a hard surface

4. a detonator placed on a railway line as a danger signal

5. any of various electric rays of the genus Torpedo

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verb

1. to hit (a ship, etc) with one or a number of torpedoes

2. to render ineffective; destroy or wreck

   to torpedo the administration's plan

Regionalisms

See hero sandwich.

Other Word Forms

• torpedo-like
  adjective
• torpedolike
  adjective
• untorpedoed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of torpedo

1510–20; < Latin torpēdō numbness, torpidity, electric ray, equivalent to torpē ( re ) to be stiff ( see torpid ¹) + -dō noun suffix

Explanation

A torpedo is a type of missile or bomb fired underwater. To torpedo is to attack with torpedoes. Torpedoes are cigar-shaped projectiles that are used to attack other submarines or boats. The word torpedo comes from the name of a kind of electric ray that numbs you with its sting (torpediniformes). Torpedoes can also be used to attack a target on land. When a submarine fires torpedoes, they're torpedoing the target. Torpedoes explode upon impact, and they're very powerful weapons.

Example Sentences

If your goal is to save money on taxes, detonating the tax torpedo is not ideal.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

The conflict has mushroomed to draw in nations around the Middle East, sending energy markets into a tailspin and threatening to torpedo the global economy.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Sri Lanka said 32 sailors rescued by its navy after the torpedo attack "will remain in Sri Lanka", according to news agency AFP.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

“But we didn’t know whether it’s a torpedo or air attack.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

For example, four Russian submarines prowled the waters near Cuba, each one carrying a torpedo loaded with a nuclear weapon.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• batter
• decimate
• demolish
• destroy
• devastate
• impair
• injure
• mangle
• mar
• ravage
• raze
• ruin
• sabotage
• shatter
• sink
• smash
• spoil
• trash
• undermine
• vandalize