corvette

noun

cor·​vette kȯr-ˈvet How to pronounce corvette (audio)
Synonyms of corvettenext
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Several generations of naval vessels for the Israeli Navy, including Dolphin-class submarines and Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, have already been built at the company’s shipyards, as per the release. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026 In 2006, for instance, a Hezbollah cruise missile struck the Israeli corvette Hanit, which was operating in the waters off Lebanon. — Holmes Liao, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026 Zelenskyy, who did not mention grain terminals, said Russia's Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov frigates, a large landing ship, a corvette, and other vessels were struck in the attack. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026 Its Russian captain allegedly acted on Russian intelligence and a Russian corvette ran reconnaissance. — Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for corvette

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

Rhymes for corvette

See All Rhymes for corvette

Browse Nearby Words

corves
corvette
corvid
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Corvette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corvette. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

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

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for corvette

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about corvette

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All