flotilla
Americannoun
-
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.
noun
Etymology
Origin of flotilla
1705–15; < Spanish, diminutive of flota fleet < French flotte < Old English flota
Explanation
If you see a boy launch a flotilla of handmade sailboats on the far side of a pond, chances are his fleet of ships won't make it to your side of the pond. Flotilla is from the Spanish word flota, which means fleet. The word looks like the Spanish word tortilla but is not pronounced at all the same way, even though they are both from the same language. Flotilla is pronounced like the word "float" and the "-ill" part of the word "hill," then with "uh" on the end of the word.
Vocabulary lists containing flotilla
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Flotilla organisers put the number of "kidnapped" activists at 211.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
She’s on the so-called veterans’ boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of 52 vessels making their way east.
From Slate • Sep. 29, 2025
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said its ship The Conscience was targeted at 00:23 local time on Friday and issued an SOS signal right after the attack.
From BBC • May 2, 2025
Last April, Russia dispatched its Caspian Flotilla to the waters around Ukraine for exercises and left behind several large landing craft.
From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2022
The visor scanned my retinas and the system prompted me to speak my new pass phrase: “Reindeer Flotilla Setec Astronomy.”
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
