platoon

American  

[pluh-toon] / pləˈtun /

noun

• platoons
  plural

1. a military unit consisting of two or more squads or sections and a headquarters.

2. a small unit of a police force.

3. a company or group of persons.

   a platoon of visitors.

4. Football. a group of players specially trained in one aspect of the game, as offense or defense, and used as a unit.

   a halfback on the offensive platoon.

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verb (used with object)

1. Sports.

   1. to use (a player) at a position in a game alternately with another player or players.

   2. to alternate (two different teams or units), as separate offensive and defensive squads.

verb (used without object)

1. Sports.

   1. to alternate at a position with another player or players.

   2. to use players alternately at the same position.

   3. to alternate different teams.

platoon British  

/ pləˈtuːn /

noun

1. military a subunit of a company usually comprising three sections of ten to twelve men: commanded by a lieutenant

2. a group or unit of people, esp one sharing a common activity, characteristic, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• platoons
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of platoon

1630–40; earlier plotton < French peloton little ball, group, platoon, diminutive of pelote ball. See pellet, -oon

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Explanation

A platoon is a military unit made up of squads. If you’re in a war zone, you might see a platoon of soldiers guarding a checkpoint. Military branches such as the army, navy, air force, or marines are broken down into smaller groups. One is a platoon, which is part of a company and made up of squads. A platoon usually has its own headquarters and is under the command of a lieutenant. In a war, platoons will be stationed in places according to strategy — the platoon might be attacking or defending. Platoon (1986) is also the name of a war movie about Vietnam.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

platoon platoons

After all, Hegseth has served as a platoon leader in the National Guard and as a prison guard for a little while, so he knew what he was talking about.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

Upon reading the summary, we wondered why the report required a platoon of analysts to produce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“It would be like if I was leading a platoon of Marines but went to a hotel to sleep at night while they’re out in a foxhole,” he added.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

One of the Anglian soldiers - Pte Tymoteusz Maciejewski, in the anti-tank platoon - was born in Poland but moved to England at the age of four.

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

Just before he’d arrived in Vietnam, there’d been a tragic accident in his platoon, one that everyone was still reeling from.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

And we need to think more about the little platoons, the habits, the character forming that’s required for people to navigate a world where there’s not going to be lifelong work anymore.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

Army spokesman Maj Gen Lul Ruai Koang told the BBC that soldiers from two platoons and their commanders had been put in detention following internal investigations and now face a court martial.

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026

This year, mercenaries began transiting through Bosaso in Somalia, where local sources told AFP a UAE-run section of a military base has hosted platoons of uniformed foreigners, transported in cargo planes.

From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025

The department is staffed by three 24-hour shifts, known as platoons, with about 1,000 firefighters on duty at any given time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2025

They herded the hastily formed Volkssturm platoons into parks and gave hurried instructions in the use of the machine gun and Panzerfaust.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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Related Words

• batch
• detachment
• patrol
• squad
• squadron

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