flotilla

noun

flo·​til·​la flō-ˈti-lə 

1

: a fleet of ships or boats

especially : a navy organizational unit consisting of two or more squadrons of small warships

2

: an indefinite large number

a flotilla of changes

Did you know?

Flotilla comes from the diminutive form of the Spanish noun flota, meaning "fleet." Flota derives via Old French from Old Norse floti and is related to Old English flota (meaning "ship" or "fleet"), an ancestor to English's float. Much like other words referring to groups of particular things (such as swarm), flotilla has taken on expanded usage to refer simply to a large number of something not necessarily having to do with nautical matters, often with humorous effect (e.g., "a flotilla of rather mature-looking male models" — Jed Perl, The New Republic).

Examples of flotilla in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brian Hurley predicts, meanwhile, that as more independent astronauts from around the world begin occupying the orbital rings closest to Earth, SpaceX could move to connect up small flotillas of Starships into larger interlinked clusters. — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Sail 4th 250 The largest flotilla of tall ships from across the globe will come to New York Harbor from July 3 to July 9. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 23 June 2026

The ships will enter Boston Harbor in flotillas and turn around near Charlestown before docking. — Neal Riley, CBS News, 17 June 2026

What made the operation unusual was the involvement of Task Force 59, a dedicated artificial intelligence and unmanned systems integration unit that operates a flotilla of drone boats, including the Corsair. — David Szondy june 09, New Atlas, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, diminutive of flota fleet, from Old French flote, from Old Norse floti; akin to Old English flota ship, fleet — more at float

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flotilla

• axilla
• gorilla
• guerilla
• guerrilla
• manilla
• mantilla
• maxilla
• mesilla
• papilla
• priscilla
• scintilla
• sensilla

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Kids Definition

flotilla

noun

flo·​til·​la flō-ˈtil-ə 

: fleet entry 1 sense 1

especially : a fleet of small ships