cadre

American  

[ka-dray, kah-dray] / 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

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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”; see quadri-

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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

Actor D’Arcy Carden stopped by early, beating the cadre of guests crowding the main plaza beneath the now-famous oculus of the 300,000-square-foot Ma Yansong-designed building.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

A growing cadre of volunteers increasingly helps with the next step, the actual harvest, scooping acorns off the ground and into bags and buckets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

And the RSS and its network act as an accelerator for the BJP’s top talent: Mr. Modi began as a full-time RSS organizer, joining a cadre who vow to forgo marriage and personal wealth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

While he wanted to focus purely on directing, the studio insisted that he appear in the film along with the cadre of ballet dancers he had chosen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Uncle Leang and Uncle Heang say that since the Khmer Rouge have won the war, the soldiers removed the old village chief and replaced him with a Khmer Rouge cadre.

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

In January, he warned against "two-faced cadres" who profess political loyalty but defy orders and act in their self-interest.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

That includes measures to reduce corruption and make cadres more effective and loyal.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

When cadres at every level feel universally insecure, policy execution suffers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

I had met him only once, when I addressed his group of MK cadres in Natal after my return from the continent.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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Related Words

• organization
• personnel
• staff

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