torpedo

[ tawr-pee-doh ]

noun

, plural tor·pe·does.

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 torpedo 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.

verb (used with object)

, tor·pe·doed, tor·pe·do·ing.

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)

, tor·pe·doed, tor·pe·do·ing.

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

torpedo

/ 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

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

Derived Forms

• torˈpedo-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• tor·pedo·like adjective
• untor·pedoed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of torpedo¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of torpedo¹

C16: from Latin: crampfish (whose electric discharges can cause numbness), from torpēre to be inactive; see torpid

Example Sentences

A group representing the families of people taken hostage by Hamas in its 7 October attack also condemned Netanyhu's dismissal of Gallant, calling it a continuation of efforts to "torpedo" a release deal.

From BBC

“It's a longstanding problem. And solutions are at hand. And from day one, literally, we have been offering solutions,” she said, blaming Trump for pressuring Republicans in Congress to torpedo a border deal that would have increased immigration enforcement.

From BBC

Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, countered that Trump helped torpedo bipartisan legislation backed by the Biden administration that would have enacted some of the most toughest immigration policy in US history.

From BBC

The waters off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, a focal point for convoy navigation, was a graveyard for so many ships it became known as “torpedo junction.”

From Salon

First, the decision outsources power to torpedo ballot initiatives to obscure election officials or state judges, who rarely lose reelection campaigns.

From Slate

Related Words

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