squad

A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.

Noun

  1. A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.
    • He assembled a squad of ten to take on the assassin.

    1. A unit of tactical military personnel, or of police officers, usually of about ten members.

      • A squad of soldiers ordered them to disperse but instead of doing so they commenced throwing ice and rocks. - 1912, The New England magazine, volume 47:

    2. (cricket, soccer, rugby) A group of potential players from whom a starting team and substitutes are chosen.

    3. (informal) A collective noun for a group of squid.

      • At one point, the 400-ton Calypso was brought to a standstill by a squad of squid which clogged the engines and caused a power failure. Other, highlights included an attack by predatory blue sharks, […] - 1970, TV...
      • The Sea Life Centre retains a squad of squid and such. - 2002, Let's Go Inc., Let's Go 2003: Britain & Ireland, Let's Go Publications:
      • There's several new symbols next to the doorway symbol. Beso pushed all six of them without waiting to see what they brought; like a herd of charging rhinos or rampaging squad of squid. Next best thing though. - 2012,...
  2. Ellipsis of squad truck.
  3. One's friend group, taken collectively; one's peeps.
    • anyway, sheʼs resigned herself to hanging out with the squad at uni rather than going manhunting - 2019, Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other, Penguin Books (2020), page 52:

Origin

Etymology tree Latin quadrus Vulgar Latin *exquadrō Italian squadraredeverb. Italian squadra French escouadebor. English squad From French escouade, from Italian squadra (“square”) (whence also French escadre). Doublet of squadra and square.

Forms

squads escouade

Related

squadron

Derived

awkward squad bomb squad cheer squad circular firing squad death squad firing squad flying squad fraud squad Freud squad God squad goon squad hit squad hold-up squad intersquad intrasquad mendicancy squad pep squad police squad practice squad red squad rummage squad snatch squad split-squad squad automatic weapon

Noun UK, dialectal

  1. Sloppy mud.
    • The lass ran all among the muck and squad. - 1875 March 13, Leicester Chronicle, quoted in the EDD
    • An' she did n't not solidly mean I wur / gawin' that waäy to the bad, Fur the gell was as howry a trollope as / iver traäpes'd i' the squad. - 1895, Alfred Tennyson, The Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson: Poet-laureate,...

Origin

Uncertain. Compare squick (“disgust”), squalid (“dirty”) with similar initial sounds.

Verb

  1. To act as part of, or on behalf of, a squad.
    • We squad on the fifth of the month.
  2. To transport by ambulance.

Forms

squads squadding squadded escouade