flotilla

[ floh-til-uh ]

/ floʊˈtɪl ə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flotilla ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a group of small naval vessels, especially a naval unit containing two or more squadrons.

a group moving together: The governor was followed by a whole flotilla of reporters.

Nearby words

flotation bags, flotation method, flotation tank, flote grass, flotel, flotilla, flotow, flotow, friedrich von, flotsam, flotsam and jetsam, flotus

Origin of flotilla

1705–15; < Spanish, diminutive of flota fleet < French flotte < Old English flota

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flotilla

The pendant light is a flotilla of hot air balloons hand blown in glass.
OMG I Want That ...Nursery (Royal Edition)|Tom Sykes|May 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But I was oddly pleased when I heard that 500 people were treated for hypothermia after the flotilla.
Amis on Harry: 'He's Ginge, He's Loud...'|Tom Sykes|July 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will travel in the Royal Barge which will form the centrepiece of the flotilla.
Jubilee Events in London||May 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The two countries are facing a major diplomatic rupture over a report on the Gaza flotilla raid, and neither side is backing down.
Israel and Turkey Sever Ties|Owen Matthews|September 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Flotilla organizers say someone sabotaged two of their ships currently docked in Greece.
The Gaza Flotilla PR Battle|Dan Ephron|June 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The flotilla—mother-ship, tugs and all—was out to sea long before the dawn.
World's War Events, Volume III|Various
When the flotilla was within pistol shot of the schooner Mr. Gibney stepped to the rail and motioned them back.
Captain Scraggs|Peter B. Kyne
With the escape of the Red-river flotilla, the career of Admiral Porter on the rivers ended.
The Naval History of the United States|Willis J. Abbot.
So successful was he, indeed, that he added two more ships to his flotilla and sent them to Spain.
South America|W. H. Koebel
Thus narrowly escaped the flotilla which carried "Cæsar and his fortune."
The History of Napoleon Buonaparte|John Gibson Lockhart

British Dictionary definitions for flotilla

flotilla

/ (fləˈtɪlə) /

noun

a small fleet or a fleet of small vessels

Word Origin for flotilla

C18: from Spanish flota fleet, from French flotte, ultimately from Old Norse floti

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