cadre
n. countablen. a small group of people who are specially trained for a particular purpose or profession. It often refers to a core team that can lead or train others in an organization.
n. a small, core group of trained personnel capable of leading, training, or expanding a larger organization. Often used in military or political contexts to describe a nucleus of activists or professionals.
The company hired a small cadre of experts to lead the project.
A cadre of experienced officers remained behind to train the new recruits before the main force deployed.
The revolutionary movement was driven by a disciplined cadre of intellectuals who spent years organizing local workers before the first public protests began.
Borrowed from French cadre, from Italian quadro (“framed painting, square”), from Latin quadrum, from quattuor (“four”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often takes a singular verb, but can take a plural verb in British English when referring to the members of the group.
Last updated May 9, 2026