squad
Americannoun
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squads
plural
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a small number of soldiers, commonly 10 privates, a staff sergeant, and a corporal; the smallest military unit.
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a group of police officers, especially one organized to deal with a particular area of law enforcement.
drug squad; fraud squad.
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any small group or party of persons engaged in a common enterprise.
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a sports team or a group of players from which a team is selected.
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Slang. a group of friends.
verb (used with object)
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to form into squads.
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to assign to a squad.
noun
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the smallest military formation, typically comprising a dozen soldiers, used esp as a drill formation
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any small group of people engaged in a common pursuit
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sport a number of players from which a team is to be selected
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing squad
"Siberian Survivors" and "Tigers in the Wild"
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"Brave Butterflies"
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Kareem Between
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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.
See Examples For:
Hopefully this new boss can create a new atmosphere in the squad, developing younger players and playing attacking football.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The 29-year-old scored 23 goals in 103 games for Forest but has been behind Chris Wood and Igor Jesus in the pecking order and was left out of last season's Europa League squad.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Unlike the likes of Delap and Mudryk, these four were sat near the squad just behind the bench alongside third-choice goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
With several weeks until the Premier League transfer window closes, the new investment could be a boost to Reds boss Andoni Iraola as he looks to strengthen his squad for the new season.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
They drove off in their squad car, and all down the block, drapes fell back to rest, half-opened shades closed like eyes that saw no evil.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
He has 20 caps and was in Portugal's squads for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 but was not selected by Roberto Martinez for this summer's tournament.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
I don’t really know any La Liga squads besides Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona, so I have a lot of studying to do there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 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
Rather than assessing losses over a three-year period, it allows clubs to spend 85% of the income they generate on their squads and is assessed annually.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
I see other squads that are also quite good, but I don’t fully understand our status until the morning Plutarch joins us.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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 Caradoc Evans
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.
