squadron

noun

squad·​ron ˈskwä-drən 

1

: a unit of military organization: such as

a

: a cavalry unit higher than a troop and lower than a regiment

b

: a naval unit consisting of two or more divisions and sometimes additional vessels

c(1)

: a unit of the U.S. Air Force higher than a flight and lower than a group

(2)

: a military flight formation

2

: a large group of people or things

a squadron of limos

Examples of squadron in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Franklin Roosevelt who started the first Black fighter squadron, the 99th pursuit squadron, in January of 1941, in part as a bid for the Black vote in the 1944 election. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 5 June 2024

Back at Thorpe Abbots, Buck’s squadron is — as narrator Crosby tells us — being sent to bomb the submarine pens at Bremen again after the prior raid failed. —Chris Klimek, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2024

Although the military’s components were still potent, its force structure—the hugely expensive carriers, squadrons of aircraft, and brigades of troops stationed back home—became more symbolic and less relevant. —Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023

Anderson's other military service included serving as the commander of a squadron in post-war Korea and as the commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing during combat in Southeast Asia. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 22 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian squadrone, augmentative of squadra squad, from Old Italian

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing squadron

• squadron leader

Kids Definition

squadron

noun

squad·​ron ˈskwäd-rən 

: any of several units of military organization