From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsquadsquad /skwɒd $ skwɑːd/ ●●○ W3 noun [countable] 1 PLAY A GAME OR SPORTa group of players from which a team will be chosen for a particular sports event the Italian World Cup squad2 SCPthe police department responsible for dealing with a particular kind of crimedrugs/fraud/vice etc squad A controlled explosion was carried out by bomb squad officers.3 PMAa small group of soldiers working together as a unit a drill squad4 American EnglishDS a group of cheerleaders → death squad, firing squad, flying squad
Examples from the Corpus
squad• For unknown reasons, a squad of police marched into the black suburb of Brownsville.• Only two starting players are returning from last year's women's basketball squad.• Vivian McGrath was the star of the 1938 Davis Cup squad.• Commandos would land from the destroyer and from coastal forces motorboats in small assault parties, demolition squads, and protection parties.• a football squad• Outside London a murder squad detective might have one or two.• An encouraging aspect was that each of the three new caps in the squad contributed to the victory.• If he comes through unscathed, he can be added to the squad.• But in this squad system the axe does not fall easily.drugs/fraud/vice etc squad• She wasn't on the plane and West Mercia fraud squad have asked Interpol to investigate.• In private, Fraud Squad officers dismiss it.• It wasn't exactly an exciting party, but the vice squad knocked on the door.• When Keating painted in the style of Palmer, he was picked up by the Fraud Squad.• I picks up the phone and dialled a special number for the fraud squad.• It is the first time the fraud squad has been directly accused of leaking the report.• Details regarding the firm's demise are a little hazy, and the matter has now been referred to the Fraud Squad.• In recent weeks, drugs squad officers have seized quantities of crack cocaine in Gloucester and Stroud.Origin squad (1600-1700) French escouade, from escadre, from Italian squadra “square”, from Vulgar Latin exquadra; → SQUARE2 