brigade

[ bri-geyd ]
See synonyms for brigade on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a military unit having its own headquarters and consisting of two or more regiments, squadrons, groups, or battalions.

  2. a large body of troops.

  1. Digital Technology. cybermob.

  2. a group of individuals organized for a particular purpose: a fire brigade;a rescue brigade.

  3. History/Historical. a convoy of canoes, sleds, wagons, or pack animals, especially as used to supply trappers in the 18th- and 19th-century Canadian and U.S. fur trade.

verb (used with object),bri·gad·ed, bri·gad·ing.
  1. to form into a brigade.

  2. to group together.

verb (used with or without object)bri·gad·ed, bri·gad·ing.
  1. Digital Technology. to engage in online brigading.

Origin of brigade

1
First recorded in 1630–40; from French, from Old Italian brigata “company of soldiers,” originally “group, band,” equivalent to brig(are) probably “to associate (with), be together” (obsolete sense), probably of Celtic origin; see brigand + -ata-ade1

Other words from brigade

  • in·ter·bri·gade, adjective
  • sub·bri·gade, noun

Words Nearby brigade

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use brigade in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brigade

brigade

/ (brɪˈɡeɪd) /


noun
  1. a formation of fighting units, together with support arms and services, smaller than a division and usually commanded by a brigadier

  2. a group of people organized for a certain task: a rescue brigade

verb(tr)
  1. to organize into a brigade

  2. to put or group together

Origin of brigade

1
C17: from Old French, from Old Italian, from brigare to fight, perhaps of Celtic origin; see brigand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012