Meaning & use
squad
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Meanings
nouncountable
A small group of people trained or chosen to work together on a particular job, such as soldiers or police officers.
Grammar: Countable. In British English it can take a plural verb: the squad are training.
Patterns
- a squad of something
- a squad of people
A squad of firefighters arrived within minutes.
The bomb squad closed off the street.
A small squad of soldiers guarded the bridge.
nouncountablesport
The full group of players from which a sports team is picked for a match or competition.
Grammar: Countable: the squad is larger than the starting team.
Patterns
- in the squad
- named in the squad
The coach named twenty-three players in the World Cup squad.
She just missed selection for the national squad.
Injuries reduced the squad to fifteen healthy players.
nouncountableinformalslang
A close group of friends who spend time together.
Grammar: Countable and informal: my squad.
Patterns
- with my squad
I'm going to the concert with my squad.
Her squad threw a surprise party for her birthday.
The whole squad showed up to cheer him on.
Word forms
| plural | squads |
|---|
Common combinations
- bomb squad
- The bomb squad defused the package safely.
- police squad
- A police squad searched the warehouse.
- national squad
- She hopes to join the national squad next year.
- squad member
- Every squad member had to pass a fitness test.
- cheerleading squad
- The cheerleading squad practices after school.
- firing squad
- In the old war film, he faced a firing squad.
Synonyms and how they differ
- team
- Team is the general word, whereas squad usually stresses a group chosen from a larger pool or tied to a special task.
- unit
- Unit is formal and used for organized military or police groups, with less of the sporty feel of squad.
- crew
- Crew suggests people working together on a vehicle or production, while squad suggests training or fighting.
- gang
- Gang is informal and may suggest trouble, whereas squad is neutral or friendly.
Opposites
Word family
- squadron noun
- a military unit, especially of aircraft or warships
- squaddie noun
- a British informal word for an ordinary soldier
- squad car noun
- a police patrol car, mainly American
Commonly confused: squad or squadron?
squad vs squadron
A squadron is a larger military unit, usually of aircraft or ships, while a squad is a small group.
Practice
A coach says, I will pick my final team from a squad of twenty. What does squad mean here?
Choose one answer.
A squad is the larger pool of players from which the match team is chosen. The starting eleven is the team itself.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “squad”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.