name · noun · verb · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈskwɒd/
General-American:/ˈskwɑd/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɒd
/ˈskwæd/
CMU ARPABET:S K W AA1 D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
An informal group of left-wing Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
Topics: government, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
name
Meaning 2
An informal military alliance between the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, focused on Asian security matters.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
name
Meaning 3
A grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
He assembled a squad of ten to take on the assassin.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.
A unit of tactical military personnel, or of police officers, usually of about ten members.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.
A group of potential players from whom a starting team and substitutes are chosen.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.
A collective noun for a group of squid.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
Ellipsis of squad truck.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Topics: firefighting, government
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
One's friend group, taken collectively; one's peeps.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
Sloppy mud.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, dialectal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
verb
Meaning 11
To act as part of, or on behalf of, a squad.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
We squad on the fifth of the month.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
verb
Meaning 12
To transport by ambulance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, transitive
Qualifier: medical slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
noun
Meaning 13
a small squad of policemen trained to deal with a particular kind of crime
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: police squad
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: team, squad
Narrower terms: vice squad, platoon, SWAT team, SWAT squad, Special Weapons and Tactics team, Special Weapons and Tactics squad
14
noun
Meaning 14
a cooperative unit (especially in sports)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: team
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: unit, social unit
Narrower terms: A-team, battery, flying squad, major-league team, major-league club, minor-league team, minor-league club, baseball team, basketball team, five, football team, eleven, hockey team, junior varsity, JV, varsity, first team, second string, police squad, squad, powerhouse, offense, offence, defense, defence, defending team, hit squad, section, little-league team, crew
15
noun
Meaning 15
a smallest army unit
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: army unit
Narrower terms: firing squad, firing party
History
Etymology
Coined by American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018.
Coined by Pentagon officials in reference to the Quad, a similar military alliance.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kwetwṓr Proto-Italic *kwettwōr Latin quattuor ▲ Latin quadrus Latin quadrōbf.? 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.
Uncertain. Compare squick (“disgust”), squalid (“dirty”) with similar initial sounds.
Across languages
Translations
100 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
ջոկատ
(ǰokat)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Belarusian:
гру́па
(hrúpa)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Belarusian:
кама́нда
(kamánda)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Belarusian:
брыга́да
(bryháda)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Bulgarian:
брига́да
(brigáda)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Bulgarian:
кома́нда
(kománda)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
French:
escouade
— small group of people organized for a purpose
German:
Gruppe
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Greek:
διμοιρία
(dimoiría)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Hindi:
टुकड़ी
(ṭukṛī)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Hungarian:
csapat
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Hungarian:
brigád
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Ido:
esquado
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Macedonian:
екипа
(ekipa)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Norwegian Bokmål:
lag
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Norwegian Bokmål:
tropp
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Romanian:
ceată
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Romanian:
echipă
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Russian:
гру́ппа
(grúppa)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Russian:
кома́нда
(kománda)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Russian:
брига́да
(brigáda)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Spanish:
escuadra
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Spanish:
cuadrilla
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Spanish:
escuadrón
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Swedish:
trupp
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Ukrainian:
гру́па
(hrúpa)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Ukrainian:
кома́нда
(kománda)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Ukrainian:
брига́да
(bryháda)
— small group of people organized for a purpose
Arabic:
فِرْقَة
(firqa)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Arabic:
جَمَاعَة
(jamāʕa)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Arabic:
رَهَط
(rahaṭ)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Armenian:
ջոկատ
(ǰokat)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Armenian:
ջոկ
(ǰok)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Belarusian:
атра́д
(atrád)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Belarusian:
кама́нда
(kamánda)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Belarusian:
аддзяле́нне
(addzjaljénnje)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Bulgarian:
отря́д
(otrjád)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Bulgarian:
отделе́ние
(otdelénie)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Chinese Mandarin:
戰隊 /战队
(zhànduì)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Chinese Mandarin:
班
(bān)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Esperanto:
eskadrono
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Estonian:
jagu
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Finnish:
ryhmä
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
French:
escadron
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
German:
Gruppe
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Greek:
ομάδα
(omáda)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Greek:
ενωμοτία
(enomotía)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Greek:
ουλαμός
(oulamós)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Hindi:
टुकड़ी
(ṭukṛī)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Hungarian:
osztag
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Hungarian:
egység
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Hungarian:
csapat
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Hungarian:
különítmény
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Hungarian:
szakasz
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Hungarian:
csoport
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Hungarian:
raj
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Ido:
esquado
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Japanese:
戦隊
(sentai)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Japanese:
分隊
(buntai)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Khmer:
ក្រុម
(krom)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Korean:
전대
(jeondae)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Korean:
분대
(bundae)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Norwegian Bokmål:
lag
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Norwegian Bokmål:
tropp
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Norwegian Nynorsk:
lag
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Persian:
جوخه
(juxe)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Polish:
szwadron
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Polish:
oddział
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Portuguese:
esquadrão
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Russian:
отря́д
(otrjád)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Russian:
кома́нда
(kománda)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Russian:
отделе́ние
(otdelénije)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Spanish:
escuadrón
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Spanish:
iwia
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Spanish:
escuadra
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Spanish:
pelotón
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Swedish:
trupp
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Turkish:
manga
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Ukrainian:
загі́н
(zahín)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Ukrainian:
кома́нда
(kománda)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
Ukrainian:
відді́лення
(viddílennja)
— unit of tactical military personnel or police officers
