PT boat

noun

ˌpē-ˈtē- How to pronounce PT boat (audio)
ˈpē-ˌ
: a small fast patrol craft usually armed with torpedoes, machine guns, and depth charges

called also PT

Examples of PT boat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
That helps account for the dutiful but often grim tone of the film, in which a pair of Navy men (Wayne, Robert Montgomery) try to convince the higher-ups that their small, maneuverable PT boats have a place in battles others believe will be dominated by larger vessels. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 May 2024 Kennedy’s brother John led a PT boat in the South Pacific and his brother Joseph Jr. piloted a plane in Europe, where he was killed in action. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2023 His character, Seaman Joseph Haines, one of a crew of misfits aboard a World War II PT boat, was known as Happy. Mike Flaherty, New York Times, 29 May 2021

Word History

Etymology

patrol torpedo

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of PT boat was in 1941

Dictionary Entries Near PT boat

Cite this Entry

“PT boat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/PT%20boat. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

PT boat

noun
: a high-speed motorboat usually equipped with torpedoes, machine guns, and depth charges
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