🇬🇧 Torpedo meaning: English Vocabulary Flash Card

A torpedo is a special kind of weapon used in water. It is long and shaped like a tube, and it can move by itself under the water, almost like a very dangerous robot fish. Torpedoes are launched from ships, submarines, or sometimes airplanes. They travel through the water toward a target, usually another ship, and explode when they hit it. Because torpedoes are weapons used in war, you usually see them in history books, movies, or video games, not in real life.

The angry cat launched itself off the couch like a furry torpedo aimed straight at my feet.

The goldfish glared at the submarine toy as if it were about to fire a torpedo.

My toddler launched himself off the sofa like a lethal, diapered torpedo.

I didn't actually fall; I just became a human torpedo aimed directly at the dessert table.

The first self-propelled torpedo was invented in the 1800s, which means people have been worrying about underwater robot bombs for over 150 years.

At dawn the captain watched a torpedo slip under water toward the convoy. He clutched binoculars as another torpedo slid past a buoy, then a third torpedo glided close to the lead ship. The alarm screamed. One torpedo struck; the deck shuddered, smoke rose. The captain cried and ordered rescue boats to pull men from water near a spent torpedo.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

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