platoon

1 of 2

noun

pla·​toon plə-ˈtün How to pronounce platoon (audio)
pla-
1
: a subdivision of a company-sized military unit normally consisting of two or more squads or sections
2
: a group of persons sharing a common characteristic or activity
a platoon of waiters
especially : a group of football players who are trained for either offense or defense and are sent into or withdrawn from the game as a body

platoon

2 of 2

verb

platooned; platooning; platoons

transitive verb

: to play (one player) alternately with another player in the same position (as on a baseball team)

intransitive verb

1
: to alternate with another player at the same position
2
: to use alternate players at the same position

Examples of platoon in a Sentence

Noun will need a platoon of assistants to mount the display at the spring flower show
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
While surrounded by enemies, Case, a platoon leader, climbed out of the tank, dropped to the ground and attached a towing cable from another tank to his own. Melissa Chan, NBC News, 5 Oct. 2024 In addition to counter assault, counter surveillance, counter sniper, protective intelligence and drone teams for Trump, an agency official says the security plan at Mar-a-Lago now includes emergency tactical response functions and a protective platoon from Palm Beach County. Lauren Peller, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2024
Verb
With Betts remaining at shortstop and Rojas on the verge of returning, veteran fill-in shortstop Nick Ahmed could be designated for assignment, and recently acquired utility man Amed Rosario and perhaps Rojas could platoon with Lux at second base. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2024 Vientos is expected to platoon with Brett Baty at third base, though manager Carlos Mendoza is hesitant to call it a straight platoon. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 15 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for platoon 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'platoon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French peloton small detachment, literally, ball, from Middle French pelote little ball — more at pellet

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1963, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of platoon was circa 1547

Dictionary Entries Near platoon

Cite this Entry

“Platoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platoon. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

platoon

noun
pla·​toon
plə-ˈtün,
pla-
1
: a part of a military company consisting of two or more squads
2
: a group of football players sent into or withdrawn from the game as a body

More from Merriam-Webster on platoon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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