cadre

American  

[ka-drey, kah-drey] / ˈkæ dreɪ, ˈkɑ dreɪ /

noun

1. Military. the key group of officers and enlisted personnel necessary to establish and train a new military unit.

2. a group of trained or otherwise qualified personnel capable of forming, training, or leading an expanded organization, as a religious or political faction, or a skilled workforce.

   They hoped to form a cadre of veteran party members.

3. (especially in Communist countries) a cell of trained and devoted workers.

4. a member of a cadre; a person qualified to serve in a cadre.

5. a framework, outline, or scheme.

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cadre British  

/ ˈkɑːdə /

noun

1. the nucleus of trained professional servicemen forming the basis for the training of new units or other military expansion

2. a basic unit or structure, esp of specialists or experts; nucleus; core

3. a group of revolutionaries or other political activists, esp when taking part in military or terrorist activities

4. a member of a cadre

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cadre Cultural  

1. An elite or select group that forms the core of an organization and is capable of training new members.

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Etymology

Origin of cadre

First recorded in 1905–10; from French: “frame, border, bounds, cadre” (metaphorically, the cadre being the framework into which temporary personnel are fit), from Italian quadro, from Latin quadrum “square”; quadri-

Example Sentences

Investors want to see how Constellation plans to profit off its recent acquisition of Calpine, another power producer that owns a large cadre of natural gas plants.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

The increasing complexity of government operations since World War I naturally led to the rise of a professionally trained cadre of experts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

A big promotion came in late 2019 when he was entrusted with all of the company’s theme parks, cruise lines and its creative cadre of Imagineers.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

"Put simply, it was like hitching a cart to a goat -- an accidental mistake in our cadre appointment process," the North Korean leader explained.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

He also organized a cadre of professional applauders, known as a “claque,” to provide enthusiastic ovations, demand encores, and cry “Brava!” for any performer willing to pay.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• organization
• personnel
• staff