A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for protection or efficiency. Picture a line of trucks moving down a highway, one after another, or several ships sailing across the ocean in formation. By staying together, they can help each other if something goes wrong and make the journey safer.

Convoys became especially important during wartime. In World War II, merchant ships carrying food, fuel, and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean traveled in convoys protected by naval warships. German submarines found it much harder to attack a group of ships defended by destroyers than to pick off lone vessels. These convoys helped keep Britain supplied during the war.

Today, you might see convoys in everyday situations. Military vehicles often move in convoy when relocating equipment. Aid organizations send convoys of trucks carrying food and medicine to disaster areas. Even moving companies sometimes travel in convoy when transporting household goods long distances, with multiple trucks following the same route to their destination.

As a verb, to convoy means to travel with someone or something in order to protect it, especially on a long or risky journey.