platoon
noun
pla·toon
| \ plə-ˈtün
, pla-\
, pla-\
Definition of platoon
(Entry 1 of 2)
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: a group of football players who are trained for either offense or defense and are sent into or withdrawn from the game as a body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
verb
platooned;
platooning;
platoons
Definition of platoon (Entry 2 of 2)
: to play (one player) alternately with another player in the same position (as on a baseball team)
1
: to alternate with another player at the same position
2
: to use alternate players at the same position
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Synonyms for platoon
Synonyms: Noun
army, band, brigade, company, crew, gang, outfit, party, squad, team
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Examples of platoon in a Sentence
Noun
will need a platoon of assistants to mount the display at the spring flower showRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Asked if Crawford had landed in a platoon, Bochy did not vociferously deny it. — Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Giants fall to Cubs, lose ground in wild-card race," 20 Aug. 2019 He’s being protected from left-handed pitching and is essentially in a left-right platoon at third base with Hanser Alberto. — Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles reset: Re-evaluating the Orioles’ decision not to bring back Adam Jones," 22 July 2019 From pass-catching sixth-round rookie, to workhorse back, to backup to an aspiring workhorse, and primary runner in a run/pass platoon, Murray has done it all. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "The 2019 Fantasy Football Boring All-Star Team," 8 July 2019 Last year, Bellinger struggled a bit against left-handers, which resulted in a platoon in the latter stages of the season. — Michelle Gardner, azcentral, "Dodgers' Cody Bellinger returns to Arizona as one of baseball's hottest players," 4 June 2019 In a platoon of 40 soldiers, on average only about six soldiers armed with M249s, marksman rifles, and M240 machine guns have the range to engage an enemy in the dead zone. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Now It's the Army That Wants a New Rifle," 6 Apr. 2017 After trading away the right-handed-hitting part of their first-base platoon in Jesús Aguilar, the Brewers are once again considering Ryan Braun to help fill the void there. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In midst of 'incredible' minor-league season, Trent Grisham will make Brewers debut Thursday," 31 July 2019 Her first assignment was as a platoon leader at Guantánamo, an American detention facility in Cuba made infamous post-Sept. — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE.com, "Meet the Trailblazing FBI Agent with Hearing Loss Who Pushed the Bureau to Let Her in — and Excelled," 30 July 2019 And on Thursday night, the New York Times reported that a senior member of the platoon had been accused of raping a female service member attached to the unit. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Navy SEAL platoon sent home from Iraq over rape allegation and drinking while deployed," 26 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Even if Ramos’ development stalls next year, the Giants could also platoon Pillar with Steven Duggar, who can’t yet be counted on as an everyday option but could be a viable presence against right-handed pitchers next season. — Kerry Crowley, The Mercury News, "Kevin Pillar’s year with Giants can prove value of ‘eye test’ this offseason," 3 Sep. 2019 For example: The Rays helped pioneer heavy use of defensive shifts and platooning. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Should Padres study Rays, who with less money have No. 1 farm system and 69-50 record?," 12 Aug. 2019 He and Harden can platoon the same way Paul and Harden once did, but Westbrook's more explosive than Paul ever was. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "Russell Westbrook on the Rockets Is the NBA Offseason's Strangest Move," 12 July 2019 In 2017, the Texas legislature passed a pair of bills legalizing both driverless vehicles and platooning trucks. — Eric Adams, WIRED, "Self-Driving Trucks Are Ready to Do Business in Texas," 6 Aug. 2019 Coming to Miami in the Giancarlo Stanton trade, Castro played in 150 games at second last season, while Rojas platooned with J.T. Riddle, playing 69 games at short. — Wells Dusenbury, sun-sentinel.com, "That’s right — the Marlins have one of MLB’s top double-play tandems," 26 June 2019 The Giants plan to platoon corner outfielders Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Tyler Austin and Austin Slater. — Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "Giants new outfield platoon has no room for Steven Duggar, who will stay in minors," 3 July 2019 To keep him healthy, the Angels intended to platoon Pujols at first base with the left-handed hitting Justin Bour. — Maria Torres, latimes.com, "Albert Pujols’ revitalized game powering his milestone achievements," 14 June 2019 Trucks with no driver could be possible by 2022, platooning behind trucks with drivers, according to the firm’s McKinsey Center for Future Mobility. — Ron Hurtibise, sun-sentinel.com, "Driverless big rigs could be hitting Florida highways next year. Are you ready, good buddy?," 13 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'platoon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for platoon
platoon
noun
English Language Learners Definition of platoon
: a group of soldiers that includes two or more squads usually led by one lieutenant
: a group of people who are doing something together
See the full definition for platoon in the English Language Learners Dictionary
platoon
noun
pla·toon
| \ plə-ˈtün
\
\
Kids Definition of platoon
: a part of a military company usually made up of two or more squads
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