squadron
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An air force unit larger than a flight and smaller than a group.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skwahdruhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskwɑdɹən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
militaryair force
An air force unit larger than a flight and smaller than a group
military
A body of infantrymen made up of several platoons, averaging from eighty to one hundred and fifty men, and led by a captain or a major.
militaryair force
A tactical air force unit; consists of at least two flights; multiple squadrons make up a group or wing (depending on particular air force).
militarynavy
A detachment of vessels employed on any particular service or station, under the command of the senior officer
verb
transitive
To divide up into squadrons.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An air force unit larger than a flight and smaller than a group
Used this way, squadron is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. This is a military use: it belongs to service and operational language.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Military
- Historical writing
- News/reporting
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.