squadron

American  

[skwod-ruhn] / ˈskwɒd rən /

noun

• squadrons
  plural

1. a portion of a naval fleet or a detachment of warships; a subdivision of a fleet.

2. an armored cavalry or cavalry unit consisting of two or more troops, a headquarters, and various supporting units.

3. (in the U.S. Air Force).

   1. the basic administrative and tactical unit, smaller than a group and composed of two or more flights.

   2. a flight formation.

4. a number of persons grouped or united together for some purpose; group.

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verb (used with object)

1. to form into a squadron or squadrons; marshal or array in or as if in squadrons.

squadron British  

/ ˈskwɒdrən /

noun

1. 1. a subdivision of a naval fleet detached for a particular task

   2. a number of naval units usually of similar type and consisting of two or more divisions

2. a cavalry unit comprising two or more troops, headquarters, and supporting arms

3. the basic tactical and administrative air force unit comprising two or more flights

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-squadron
  noun
• subsquadron
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• squadrons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of squadron

1555–65; < Italian squadrone, equivalent to squadr ( a ) square + -one augmentative suffix

Explanation

In the military, a squadron is a small unit sent out from the main group to do some particular task. In the air force, for example, a squadron might fly out on a surveillance mission. This word comes from the military, but the meaning varies depending on the branch. In the army, a squadron is a cavalry (horses) unit that has at least two troops, which are smaller collections of soldiers. The squadron also includes a headquarters and support. In the air force, a squadron has at least two flights, which are the equivalent of troops. An air force squadron is smaller than a group and bigger than a flight in the basic chain of command.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squadron squadrons

However, Israel's ministry of foreign affairs announced in May, external that it would procure another F-35 squadron.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

An array of military jets, including the Blue Angels, the US Navy's flight demonstration squadron, flew over New York Harbor, some leaving red, white and blue contrails.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

French-American land forces converged on an entrenched British army in southeastern Virginia, as a French fleet swatted away a royal navy relief squadron and sealed off the Chesapeake Bay escape route.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

At the start of the month, Starmer said four additional jets would be sent to Qatar following the deployment of the Royal Air Force's joint UK-Qatari Typhoon squadron in January.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

Or it might have simply been that Tamara’s leg injury was keeping her from flying with her squadron.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

"It's more fighter squadrons, it's more capabilities, it's more defensive capabilities. And it's more bomber pulses more frequently," he said.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026

It also has several squadrons of F-15E fighters in Jordan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

PLA engineers could fail to get the technology to work in a real wartime scenario, making China’s robot squadrons easy for enemies to pick off or disable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

Ajax programme had "left its troubles behind" and was ready to be deployed with squadrons on operations.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025

In just a few years, it will grow by thirty combat divisions and one hundred aircraft squadrons, and its navy will be larger and stronger than the navies of the United States and Britain combined.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• armada
• battalion
• fleet
• squad