PLATOON


Meaning of PLATOON in English

I. pləˈtün, plaˈ- noun

( -s )

Etymology: French peloton platoon, ball — more at peloton

1.

a. : a small body of military personnel functioning as a unit: as

(1) archaic : a body of men firing together

(2) archaic : a small group drawn up in a hollow square to strengthen the angles of a formation

(3) : a subdivision of a military unit (as a company) that normally consists of a headquarters unit and two or more squads or sections commanded by a lieutenant

b. archaic : a volley of shots

2. : a group of persons sharing some common characteristic or activity

a platoon of waiters

a platoon of potential killers — Martin Levin

as

a. : a squad of a police force working under a platoon system

b. : a squad of paid fire fighters on duty during a single shift

c. : a group (as of students) performing a particular activity at the same time

d. : a group of football players trained especially for either offense or defense and intended to be sent into or withdrawn from the game as a body

3. : a group of things of the same or similar kind existing together or viewed as a unit

platoons of empty bottles

II. transitive verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

: to arrange in or divide into platoons

the advantages from platooning students in smaller schools

III. noun

: two or more players (as in baseball) who alternate playing the same position

IV. transitive verb

: to alternate (one player) with another player in the same position

if I can't play him every day, I'll platoon him in left field — Leo Durocher

intransitive verb

1. : to alternate with another player in the same position

2. : to use alternate players at the same position

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.