cadre

American  

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

noun

cadres plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cadres
  plural

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”; see quadri-

Explanation

A cadre is a group of specially trained people prepared to lead or instruct others. Examples could be a military unit, a group of scientists, or a band of insurgents. Just looking at the "re" at the end of cadre suggests the word has some French roots, and so it does. The word, stemming from the Latin quadrum, meaning "a square," also meant "framework." This idea of a frame or border came to suggest the word as meaning a small group that creates the framework for a larger one, much like a picture frame. Your cadre of rebels consists of two cats and a stuffed bear...at least they'll be good at keeping secrets.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cadre cadres

The book wasn’t written so much as it was built by a prominent ghostwriter, a cadre of well-placed friends and colleagues, and a publishing industry that’s made billions of dollars from trauma memoirs by women.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

Unlike the disciplined cadre organisation of the Communists, Banerjee's party revolved around her own charisma and authority.

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

Saturday’s event also featured appearances by a cadre of “superstars,” including investor Cathie Wood, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, motivational speaker Tony Robbins and boxer Mike Tyson.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

The original lawsuit, led by a cadre of interested parties including the federal government, 39 states and the District of Columbia, dates back to 2024.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026

It was the perfect place for someone as shy as Sasha—a ready-made cadre of like-minded people.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Frustratingly for career diplomats, Witkoff brushed off the usual cadres of government experts for complex negotiations.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

Local cadres shouldn’t rush to juice the stats with excessive lending and white-elephant public-works projects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

And he slammed cadres who for "too long been accustomed to defeatism, irresponsibility and passiveness".

From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026

"These medical personnel and cadres, they are not hostages," the man in the blazer says.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025

Furthermore, the Khmer Rouge cadres were different in every province.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

Related Words

• organization
• personnel
• staff