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In the 17th–19th centuries, a frigate was a three-masted, fully rigged sailing ship, often carrying 30–40 guns in all. Smaller and faster than ships of the line (the principal vessels of naval warfare), frigates served as scouts or as escorts protecting merchant convoys; they also cruised the seas as merchant raiders themselves. In World War II, Britain revived the term frigate using it to describe escort ships equipped with sonar and depth charges, and used these ships to guard convoys from submarines. In the postwar decades, the frigate also adopted an antiaircraft role, adding radar and surface-to-air missiles. Modern frigates can sail at a speed of 30 knots and carry a crew of 200.
Examples of frigate in a Sentence
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
25 June 2026
Berlin is reportedly planning to scrap a multi-billion-euro project to build the F126 frigates, in which Rheinmetall was expected to become the lead contractor.
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Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
24 June 2026
From the moment that good Doctor Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) spots the French frigate Acheron while jaunting across the Galapagos to the start of the funeral for the fallen crew of the Surprise is 20 minutes exactly.
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Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
24 June 2026
Russia says the crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired shots into the air after the sailboat failed to respond to warnings to change course.
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ABC News,
17 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Frigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frigate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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frigate
noun
