corvette

noun

cor·​vette kȯr-ˈvet How to pronounce corvette (audio)
1
: a warship ranking in the old sailing navies next below a frigate
2
: a highly maneuverable armed escort ship that is smaller than a destroyer

Examples of corvette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sweden, with its own advanced high-tech defense industry, makes its own excellent fighter planes, naval corvettes and submarines, designed to operate in the difficult environment of the Baltic Sea. Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Ukraine’s sole Su-24 unit, the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, single-handedly has blown up or sunk two Black Sea Fleet landing ships, a corvette, an old training ship and—incredibly—the submarine Rostov-on-Don while the sub was in dry-dock in Crimea. David Axe, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 The apparent casualties suffered by the escorting corvettes reinforces the danger Ukraine’s kamikaze boat fleet poses, despite the high attrition rate to defensive fire. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 Aug. 2023 Navy cadets pass a Tuo River missile corvette, 2015. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 21 Aug. 2023 At sea, the Swedish Navy operates five small Visby-class stealth corvettes with anti-submarine armament and RBS-15 Mk.2 anti-ship missiles (range of 43 miles). Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 Sep. 2023 Taiwan is building 12 Tuo River-class corvette catamarans, each equipped with eight Hsiung Feng II subsonic and eight Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship missiles. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 21 Aug. 2023 That may, in turn, compel Russia’s Navy to more systematically commit its corvette force to escort Russian shipping—at least, until a new Black Sea Grain Initiative agreement is reached. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 Aug. 2023 Many of China’s coast guard vessels are former navy corvettes, capable of long-endurance operations and equipped with helicopter pads, powerful water cannons and guns the same caliber as those on an M1 Abrams tank. Damien Cave, New York Times, 12 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corvette.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, probably from Middle Dutch corf, a kind of ship, literally, basket — more at corf

First Known Use

1636, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of corvette was in 1636

Dictionary Entries Near corvette

Cite this Entry

“Corvette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corvette. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

corvette

noun
cor·​vette kȯr-ˈvet How to pronounce corvette (audio)
1
: an armed naval sailing ship
2
: an armed escort ship that is small and fast

More from Merriam-Webster on corvette

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