What does "torpedo" mean?
An electric ray of the genus Torpedo.
Torpedo
/ˌtoɹˈpi.doʊ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An electric ray of the genus Torpedo.
- Grammar: torpedo is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: electric ray, aerial torpedo, aim at, apache.
- Useful contrasts: advance, avoid, bolster.
- Usage evidence: It took many torpedo hits to send the battleship Bismarck to Davy Jones's locker.
How to use "torpedo"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "torpedo" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "torpedo" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "torpedo" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "torpedo" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "torpedo" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "electric ray" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "torpedo", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An electric ray of the genus Torpedo.
"Faire Queene, forbeare to angle for the fiſh, / Which being caught, ſtrikes him that takes it dead, / I meane that vile Torpedo, Gaueſton, / That now I hope flotes on the Iriſh Seas"
- 2 any sluggish bottom-dwelling ray of the order Torpediniformes having a rounded body and electric organs on each side of the head capable of emitting strong electric discharges wordnet
- 3 A cylindrical explosive projectile that can travel underwater and is used as a weapon.
"I stood rigid, spellbound, watching the white wake of the torpedo. It struck us on the starboard side almost amidships. The vessel rocked as though the sea beneath it had been uptorn by a mighty volcano."
- 4 armament consisting of a long cylindrical self-propelled underwater projectile that detonates on contact with a target wordnet
- 5 A cylindrical explosive projectile that can travel underwater and is used as a weapon.; A similar projectile that can travel through space.
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 a small explosive device that is placed on a railroad track and fires when a train runs over it; the sound of the explosion warns the engineer of danger ahead wordnet
- 7 A submarine sandwich. Northeastern, US
- 8 a small firework that consists of a percussion cap and some gravel wrapped in paper; explodes when thrown forcefully against a hard surface wordnet
- 9 A naval mine. archaic
- 10 an explosive device that is set off in an oil well (or a gas well) to start or to increase the flow of oil (or gas) wordnet
- 11 An explosive device buried underground and set off remotely, to destroy fortifications, troops, or cavalry; a land torpedo. obsolete
- 12 a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States wordnet
- 13 A professional gunman or assassin. slang
- 14 a professional killer who uses a gun wordnet
- 15 A small explosive device attached to the top of the rail to provide an audible warning when a train passes over it. US
- 16 A kind of firework in the form of a small ball, or pellet, which explodes when thrown upon a hard object.
- 17 An automobile with a streamlined profile and a folding or detachable soft top, and having the hood or bonnet line raised to be level with the car's waistline, resulting in a straight beltline from front to back. historical
- 18 A focal ovoid swelling on the axons of Purkinje cells, observed in several diseases such as essential tremor and spinocerebellar ataxia.
"In several human neurodegenerative diseases, focal axonal swellings on Purkinje cells – known as torpedoes – have been associated with Purkinje cell loss. Interestingly, torpedoes are also reported to appear transiently during development in rat cerebellum."
- 19 A woman's shoe with a pointed toe. US, plural-normally, slang
- 20 A large breast; a breast with a large nipple. US, plural-normally, slang
- 21 A marijuana cigarette.; A thick marijuana cigarette. slang
- 22 A marijuana cigarette.; A cigarette containing marijuana and crack cocaine. slang
Verb
- 1 To strike (a ship) with one or more torpedoes. transitive
- 2 attack or hit with torpedoes wordnet
- 3 To sink (a ship) with one or more torpedoes. transitive
"The anti-German riots which erupted simultaneously in many countries in response to the torpedoing of the Lusitania by a German U-boat in 1915 reflected shifts in the status of minorities in multi-ethnic societies at a time of escalating nationalist emotions."
- 4 To undermine or destroy any endeavor with a powerful attack. figuratively, transitive
"The left-back had been a selection concern because of an injury niggle but his first goal since last March swung this derby decisively in United’s favour, extending their club record unbeaten run away from home in the Premier League to 22 games and torpedoing City’s sequence of 21 straight wins in all competitions."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"It took many torpedo hits to send the battleship Bismarck to Davy Jones's locker."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "torpedo"?
Common synonyms include: electric ray, aerial torpedo, aim at, apache, assassin, assassinator.
How do you use "torpedo" in a sentence?
It took many torpedo hits to send the battleship Bismarck to Davy Jones's locker.
How do you pronounce "torpedo"?
Pronounced /ˌtoɹˈpi.doʊ/.
Etymology
* Borrowed from Latin torpēdō (“a torpedo fish; numbness, torpidity, electric ray”), from torpeō (“to be stiff, numb, torpid; to be astounded; to be inactive”) + -ēdō (noun suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“stiff”). In the military sense coined by Robert Fulton in 1805. Cognate with Old English steorfan (“to die”), Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós, “solid”), Lithuanian tirpstu (“to become rigid”), Old Church Slavonic трупети (trupeti). * (type of car): From 1908, after "the Torpedo", a car designed by Captain Theo Masui.