From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbrigadebri‧gade /brɪˈɡeɪd/ noun [countable] 1 PMAa large group of soldiers forming part of an army2 GROUP OF PEOPLEan insulting word for a group of people who have the same beliefs the anti-nuclear brigade3 a group of people who are organized to do something Snowmobile brigades delivered food and medicine. → fire brigade
Examples from the Corpus
brigade• There would be an attack but his brigade did not have to advance.• The troops were organized into brigades and divisions.• the back-to-nature brigade• In the Midwest, snowmobile brigades delivered food and medicine.• He was 35, married with 2 children and had been in the brigade for 11 years.• I bend down and resume sorting and lifting rocks to the other men and women in the brigade.Origin brigade (1600-1700) French Italian brigata, from brigare “to fight”, from briga “fighting” 