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torpedo boat

American

noun

a small, fast, highly maneuverable boat used for torpedoing enemy shipping.

torpedo boat British

noun

(formerly) a small high-speed warship designed to carry out torpedo attacks in coastal waters

"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 torpedo boat

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

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.

See Examples For:

torpedo boat

U-557 was rammed in error by the Italian torpedo boat Orione, west of Crete, and was sunk with all hands.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

Navy planes to bomb North Vietnamese torpedo boat bases and called on Congress to authorize the use of force.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2025

George Chandler, 99, served aboard a British motor torpedo boat as part of a flotilla that escorted the U.S.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024

Nearby they found another large metallic object, "most likely a German torpedo boat destroyer, S24", Lt Kemp added.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2023

While Johnson leaned over the table to look, McNamara pointed out potential targets for an American air strike, mainly North Vietnamese torpedo boat bases along the coast.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023