squad

American  

[skwod] / skwɒd /

noun

• squads
  plural

1. a small number of soldiers, commonly 10 privates, a staff sergeant, and a corporal; the smallest military unit.

2. a group of police officers, especially one organized to deal with a particular area of law enforcement.

   drug squad; fraud squad.

3. any small group or party of persons engaged in a common enterprise.

4. a sports team or a group of players from which a team is selected.

5. Slang. a group of friends.

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verb (used with object)

squadded, squadding

1. to form into squads.

2. to assign to a squad.

squad British  

/ skwɒd /

noun

1. the smallest military formation, typically comprising a dozen soldiers, used esp as a drill formation

2. any small group of people engaged in a common pursuit

3. sport a number of players from which a team is to be selected

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• squads
  plural

Etymology

Origin of squad

1640–50; < French esquade, alteration of esquadre < Spanish escuadra square; so called from square shape of the formation

Explanation

A squad is a group, gang, or team, often made up of soldiers or police officers, but any gang will do. Some people call their group of friends a squad, probably so they seem organized and tough. An army squad might focus on demolition or sharpshooting, while a police squad specializes in one particular type of crime — like a vice squad, battling drugs and illegal gambling, or a riot squad, controlling large groups of protesters. Any team of people is a squad, like a cheerleading squad or a squad of teenage graffiti artists. Squad comes from the Vulgar Latin exquadra, "square," or the shape infantry troops historically assembled in to fight.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squad squads squadding

That level of squad disruption was evident on the opening weekend, when Emery's side slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Brighton.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

"He is a winner. He is a very competitive player - a good player to add into our squad," said Emery.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Herrera was a fervent fan before his promotion to Zaragoza's squad.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

But Scott, who played for the Chicago Bears in 2023 and 2024, has made an impression that could land him on the practice squad if he is cut and clears waivers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Miss Val thought I'd be a good fit for her squad, and I thought she’d be a good fit for me.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

I have spent most of my life rooting for anonymous Padres and Chargers squads that nobody in the national media cares about.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

Yuriy, a senior instructor who led one of the squads across the gruelling obstacle course, has at times pondered the necessity of such trials given the nature of drone warfare.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

English clubs spend enormous sums, but it can be distributed across deep squads or on players already proven within the competition.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

I don’t really know any La Liga squads besides Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona, so I have a lot of studying to do there.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

I see other squads that are also quite good, but I don’t fully understand our status until the morning Plutarch joins us.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

But Squadrons isn’t just great for its design or it’s incredible, game-wide VR option: it’s also a fun class-based multiplayer game, one that rewards squadding up with friends and coordinating different classes and abilities.

From The Verge ● Dec. 19, 2020

The only thing he left here is this old coat which he wore at squadding in the morning.

From My Neighbors Stories of the Welsh People by Caradoc Evans

Related Words

• band
• battalion
• division
• force
• gang
• group
• squadron
• troop