I. con ‧ voy 1 /ˈkɒnvɔɪ $ ˈkɑːn-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: convoi , from Old French conveier , convoier ; ⇨ ↑ convey ]
a group of vehicles or ships travelling together, sometimes in order to protect one another
convoy of
The British left in a convoy of 20 cars.
in convoy
We drove in convoy.
a military convoy
aid/relief/food etc convoy
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + convoy
▪ an aid/relief/humanitarian convoy (=taking food, clothes, medicine etc to people in disaster areas)
The United Nations aid convoy finally reached the border.
▪ a food convoy (=taking food)
Troops were sent to guard the food convoys.
▪ a military/army/troop convoy
28 soldiers were killed in an attack on a military convoy.
▪ an armed convoy (=carrying weapons)
a heavily armed convoy of three vehicles
▪ a truck/vehicle convoy
The troops' truck convoy was travelling along the edge of the desert.
▪ a police convoy (=of police vehicles)
Rebels have ambushed a police convoy in the east.
■ verbs
▪ go in convoy (=go together, in separate vehicles)
We could all meet up somewhere and go in convoy.
▪ escort a convoy (=go with a convoy)
Troops will escort convoys of emergency food through the war zones.
▪ ambush a convoy (=attack a convoy)
Gunmen ambushed a convoy of trucks heading north.
▪ a convoy carries something
The military convoy was carrying supplies to a NATO base at Malatya.
▪ a convoy arrives
The convoy arrived in Gelib carrying 450 tonnes of food.
▪ a convoy reaches something
When is the convoy expected to reach its destination?
II. convoy 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to travel with something in order to protect it:
American destroyers helped to convoy much-needed supplies to Britain in 1917.