squad

From French escouade, from Italian squadra (“square”) (whence also French escadre). Doublet of squadra and square.

• escouade (archaic)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskwɒd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈskwɑd/

• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ɒd

squad (plural squads)

1. A group of people organized for some common purpose, usually of about ten members.
   1. A unit of tactical military personnel, or of police officers, usually of about ten members.
      • 1912, The New England magazine, volume 47:

        A squad of soldiers ordered them to disperse but instead of doing so they commenced throwing ice and rocks.

   2. (cricket, soccer, rugby) A group of potential players from whom a starting team and substitutes are chosen.
   3. (informal) A collective noun for a group of squid.
      • 1970, TV Guide, volume 18:

        At one point, the 400-ton Calypso was brought to a standstill by a squad of squid which clogged the engines and caused a power failure. Other, highlights included an attack by predatory blue sharks, […]

      • 2002, Let's Go Inc., Let's Go 2003: Britain & Ireland, Let's Go Publications:

        The Sea Life Centre retains a squad of squid and such.

      • 2012, S. Louis King, Gnome Home Papers, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 546:

        There's several new symbols next to the doorway symbol. Beso pushed all six of them without waiting to see what they brought; like a herd of charging rhinos or rampaging squad of squid. Next best thing though.

      • 2017, Kristen Joy Wilks, Athens Ambuscade, Pelican Ventures Book Group, →ISBN:

        I pulled in as deep a breath as my gag allowed and began relaxing my body. I used a little trick I'd learned in college. I imagined that a friendly squad of squid were massaging every muscle on the bottoms of my feet; the tension began to drain.

2. (slang) One's friend group, taken collectively; one's peeps.
   • 2019, Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other, Penguin Books (2020), page 52:

     anyway, sheʼs resigned herself to hanging out with the squad at uni rather than going manhunting

• squadron

• Appendix:English collective nouns

squad (third-person singular simple present squads, present participle squadding, simple past and past participle squadded)

1. (intransitive) To act as part of, or on behalf of, a squad.

   We squad on the fifth of the month.

2. (transitive, US, medical slang) To transport by ambulance.

Uncertain. Compare squick (“disgust”), squalid (“dirty”) with similar initial sounds.

• IPA^(key): /ˈskwæd/

squad

1. (UK, dialect) Sloppy mud. [from mid-17th c.]
   • 1875 March 13, Leicester Chronicle, quoted in the EDD:

     The lass ran all among the muck and squad.

   • 1895, Alfred Tennyson, The Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson: Poet-laureate, page 791:

     An' she did n't not solidly mean I wur / gawin' that waäy to the bad,
     Fur the gell was as howry a trollope as / iver traäpes'd i' the squad.

• Robert Eden George Cole, A Glossary of Words Used in South-west Lincolnshire (1886), page 140

• quads

• IPA^(key): /esˈkwad/ [esˈkwað̞]
• Rhymes: -ad

squad m (plural squads or squad)

1. squad