squad

American  

[skwod] / skwɒd /

noun

squads plural

1. a small number of soldiers, commonly 10 privates, a staff sergeant, and a corporal; the smallest military unit.

2. a group of police officers, especially one organized to deal with a particular area of law enforcement.

   drug squad; fraud squad.

3. any small group or party of persons engaged in a common enterprise.

4. a sports team or a group of players from which a team is selected.

5. Slang. a group of friends.

---

verb (used with object)

squadded, squadding

1. to form into squads.

2. to assign to a squad.

squad British  

/ skwɒd /

noun

1. the smallest military formation, typically comprising a dozen soldiers, used esp as a drill formation

2. any small group of people engaged in a common pursuit

3. sport a number of players from which a team is to be selected

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• squads
  plural

Etymology

Origin of squad

1640–50; < French esquade, alteration of esquadre < Spanish escuadra square; so called from square shape of the formation

Explanation

A squad is a group, gang, or team, often made up of soldiers or police officers, but any gang will do. Some people call their group of friends a squad, probably so they seem organized and tough. An army squad might focus on demolition or sharpshooting, while a police squad specializes in one particular type of crime — like a vice squad, battling drugs and illegal gambling, or a riot squad, controlling large groups of protesters. Any team of people is a squad, like a cheerleading squad or a squad of teenage graffiti artists. Squad comes from the Vulgar Latin exquadra, "square," or the shape infantry troops historically assembled in to fight.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squad squads squadding

Instead of capping raucous Bastille Day celebrations in France with a trip to the World Cup final, Deschamps and his squad will travel to Miami to play in the third-place game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

The Argentine squad — reigning world champions led by seemingly ageless superstar Lionel Messi — faces off Wednesday in a semifinal match against England.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Rodrigo de Paul has become, in this Argentina squad, what Jose Manuel Pinto once was at Barcelona, or Luis Suarez later became: the team-mate with whom Messi instantly feels at home.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The Premier League is comfortably the most well-represented domestic competition in the semi-finals - La Liga is next on the list, with 29 players, 17 of whom are in the Spain squad.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

On their marches, Hans’s squad bore their new banner proudly.

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

Both squads are bursting with talent, but all eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

International disaster teams, including some US squads, and some South American teams were starting to finish up rescue operations, their members said on Saturday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

Eventually, emergency squads from across the globe descended on La Guaira.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

He has only played for Tuchel once because of injury and was not selected for squads in the build-up to this tournament.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Gearhart wanted to combine the other two squads, but they wouldn’t let him do it.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

But Squadrons isn’t just great for its design or it’s incredible, game-wide VR option: it’s also a fun class-based multiplayer game, one that rewards squadding up with friends and coordinating different classes and abilities.

From The Verge ● Dec. 19, 2020

The only thing he left here is this old coat which he wore at squadding in the morning.

From My Neighbors Stories of the Welsh People by Evans, Caradoc

Related Words

• band
• battalion
• division
• force
• gang
• group
• squadron
• troop