brigade

American  

[bri-gayd] / brɪˈgeɪd /

noun

• brigades
  plural

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.

3. Digital Technology. cybermob.

4. a group of individuals organized for a particular purpose: a rescue brigade.

   a fire brigade;

   a rescue brigade.

5. bucket brigade.

6. 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.

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verb (used with object)

brigaded, brigading

1. to form into a brigade.

2. to group together.

verb (used with or without object)

brigaded, brigading

1. Digital Technology. to engage in online brigading.

brigade British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to organize into a brigade

2. to put or group together

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subbrigade
  noun
• interbrigade
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• brigades
  plural

Etymology

Origin of brigade

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 -ade ¹

Explanation

A brigade is a unit of the army. A bunch of brigades make up a division, while brigades are divided into battalions and regiments. The military is nothing if not organized, and one of the forms of organization is the brigade. A brigade is smaller than a division, but larger than a battalion or regiment, several of which make up a brigade. A colonel or brigadier general will command a brigade, which consists of several units, including one at headquarters, one infantry unit, plus support staff. Soldiers in the same brigade will work together closely. Veterans will remember their brigade comrades.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brigade brigades brigaded brigading

During battlefield drills held in Germany earlier this year, Ukraine’s drone operators took out a U.S. armored brigade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

"It's not an easy task," acknowledged Yaya Doumbia, first deputy mayor of Yopougon, Abidjan's biggest district and a hotspot for informal enterprise, where authorities have created a "sanitation brigade".

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

In Chinatown, a librarian has assembled a brigade of teen volunteers to deliver fresh produce and other essential groceries to neighbors in need.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

This has been the case since the creation of the first modern fire brigade in the Netherlands in the 1670s.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

The hundreds gathered to see the departure of the brigade stood about gazing at the empty space they had occupied.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

"They're currently being tested in some brigades," said Trotsenko, who is awaiting a green light for further rollout by the General Staff.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

It includes brigades belonging to Iran-backed groups reputed for acting unilaterally.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Converting these “e-points” into money via the country’s Delta battlefield management network, brigades can then quickly purchase new systems directly from manufacturers, through a classified online marketplace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Robert Tollast, land warfare expert at the Royal United Service Institute, told BBC Verify that some brigades were estimated to need up to 1,000 tonnes of fuel, food, ammunition and other key supplies every day.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

If brigades were tied up as occupiers, they could not be reassigned quickly.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

This is a useful corrective for people who are being brigaded by Twitter trolls: Would you still be worried if a crowd of folks in a town you’ll never visit was booing your name?

From Washington Post ● Aug. 9, 2022

In many cases, it appeared that a post from one user would get shared by a friend into his or her network, where it would be brigaded by strangers.

From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2020

He calls for civil servants outside London to "be brigaded into local growth teams".

From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2012

While the idea of civil servants being "brigaded" to march in step to the localist tune is an entertaining notion, it will not liberate the power of local economies.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2012

One regiment I have in mind, with which we were afterwards brigaded, illustrates this principle.

From War from the Inside The Story of the 132nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in the War for the Suppression of the Rebellion, 1862-1863 by Frederick L. (Frederick Lyman) Hitchcock

What counts as sufficient coordination for a campaign to qualify as brigading?

From Washington Post ● Dec. 23, 2021

Facebook said that such coordinated campaigns, known as brigading, are a new area that the company is starting to police.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 1, 2021

So apparently YouTube doesn't understand how brigading works or why impact matters more than intent.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 5, 2019

There are almost ceaseless allegations, on both sides, of harassment, brigading, astroturfing and sock puppetry: terms that describe coordinated, oppositional online campaigns, the feigned impression of grassroots support and fake online identities.

From Washington Post ● May 5, 2016

Old John Butler followed; and is brigading malcontents in Canada.

From The Little Red Foot by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers