squad
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a small group of soldiers or police officers who work together as a team.
a small unit of people, typically in a military or police context, organised for a specific tactical purpose.
Simple“The police sent a special squad to investigate the robbery at the bank.”
In context“The infantry squad moved cautiously through the dense undergrowth, maintaining radio silence to avoid alerting nearby enemy patrols.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
the group of players that make up a sports team.
the collective group of athletes from which a team is selected for a specific match or competition.
Simple“The manager announced the starting squad for the championship game on Saturday.”
In context“Despite several injuries to key players, the national squad remains the favourite to win the upcoming international tournament.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
a close group of friends who spend a lot of time together.
an informal social circle or close-knit group of friends. Often used to imply loyalty and shared identity.
Simple“I am going to the cinema with the squad this weekend.”
In context“She posted a photo of her squad at the beach, captioning it with a message about their decade-long friendship.”
Teacher's tipWhile originally military, this sense became highly popular in social media culture to describe one's inner circle of friends.
- 04 C1 Advanced
a small, active group of people within a larger political party.
a small, cohesive faction within a legislative body or political organisation that shares specific ideological goals.
Simple“The new members of the squad are pushing for major changes in environmental law.”
In context“The influence of the progressive squad within the party has grown significantly, leading to more robust debates over economic policy.”
“The World Cup success, which saw no Real player included in the Spanish national squad, could also well become a launching pad into the season.”
“Rangers' Chermiti out for 'significant period' McInnes insists that, despite millions spent on nine additions to his squad already this summer, they are still short of the necessary quality.”
From French escouade, from Italian squadra (“square”) (whence also French escadre). Doublet of squadra and square.
Uncertain. Compare squick (“disgust”), squalid (“dirty”) with similar initial sounds.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.