taxi squad

American

noun

Football.

(formerly) a group of players under contract to and practicing with a professional team who are not on the team's roster as playing members and therefore are ineligible to play in official games.
the four extra players on a professional football team's roster who are not allowed to suit up for an official game but who are ready to join the team at any time to replace injured or unsuccessful players.

Other Word Forms

taxi-squad adjective
taxi-squadder noun

Etymology

Origin of taxi squad

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50

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.

Bobby Miller, who hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers since July 9, will start in Glasnow’s place after being brought to St. Louis and placed on the taxi squad Friday.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2024

Berroa’s official status was on the MLB taxi squad.

From Seattle Times • May 21, 2023

He was with the team in St. Louis this week on the taxi squad but left Saturday to begin a rehabilitation assignment with triple A Oklahoma City, according to Roberts.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2023

Then, after Jake Bowers got hurt crashing into the left-field wall in the first inning of his Yankees debut on Saturday, Cordero headed back to Texas on Sunday to join the Yankees taxi squad.

From Washington Times • May 1, 2023

He played just 20 games that season, biding his time as part of the taxi squad and watching many games from the press box as a healthy scratch.

From Washington Post • Mar. 13, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023