# squad

Pronunciation: US say "SKWAHD" /ˈskwɑd/; UK say "SKWOD" /ˈskwɒd/; AUS

## Noun

1. A group of players available for selection as starters or substitutes on a team.
   - Simple: A group of players a coach picks the starting team and substitutes from.
   - _The manager included three young strikers in the squad for the cup tie._
   - _Injuries forced the coach to reshape the squad before the final._
2. A small group of soldiers working together as a tactical unit, or a similar team of police officers, usually about ten strong.
   - Simple: A small team of soldiers or police officers, usually about ten people.
   - _The bomb squad carefully approached the abandoned vehicle._
   - _Her squad cleared the area before the operation began._
3. A small group of people working together on a task or for a shared purpose, of no fixed size.
   - Simple: A small group of people working together on a job or for one purpose.
   - _The volunteer squad organized supplies for the shelter._
   - _Management assigned a new squad to handle the project._
5. A person's circle of close friends, the people they spend their free time with, as opposed to a group joined for work or sport. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A person's close group of friends.
   - _He rolled up to the reunion with his squad in matching jackets._
   - _The whole squad piled into one car for the road trip._
4. Ellipsis of squad truck. — Ellipsis of squad truck.
   - Simple: Ellipsis of squad truck. It's a short way to name the rescue vehicle.
   - _Firefighters pulled the hydraulic cutters off the squad and went to work on the crushed car._
   - _Crews restocked the squad after the overnight call._

## Verb

6. To serve as a member of a squad or to act on its behalf. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To take part in a squad's work, or to act for one.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To transport a patient by ambulance.
- (noun) A group of squid, considered as a collective.
- (noun) Soft, sloppy, wet mud.

## Origin

It goes back to Italian squadra ("square"), the source of both French escouade, which gave English squad, and French escadre. Squadra and square are its doublets.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/squad (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).