brigade
gb/bɹɪɡˈeɪd/ us/bɹɪɡˈeɪd/
B2
English
~ 6500
dandár, brigád, csapat, egység, keret, munkacsoport, csoportokba oszt, brigádokba oszt
NOUN
C1
1
dandár
B2
Usage pattern:
a/an [adjective] brigade; a brigade of [soldiers]
The army deployed an armored brigade to the border region.
A hadsereg egy páncélosdandárt vezényelt a határ menti térségbe.
He served in an infantry brigade during his tour of duty.
Külszolgálata alatt egy lövészdandárban szolgált.
The brigade was ordered to advance at dawn despite heavy resistance.
Several brigades took part in the large-scale training exercise.
The general praised the brigade for its discipline and courage.
Learner examples
Her brother joined an infantry brigade last year.
A testvére tavaly csatlakozott egy lövészdandárhoz.
The brigade moved quickly across the desert.
A dandár gyorsan átvonult a sivatagon.
Two brigades were sent to protect the city.
A new brigade was formed for the peacekeeping mission.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'brigade' with 'battalion' or 'division'. All are army units, but they are different sizes. A brigade is typically larger than a battalion and smaller than a division.
Meaning
large military unit of soldiers
Collocations
infantry brigade
|armored brigade
|tank brigade
|brigade commander
|brigade combat team
|brigade headquarters
Synonyms
unit (More general; can refer to any military grouping, not specifically the size and structure of a brigade.)
Antonyms
civilian population (Contrasts organized military forces with people who are not part of the armed forces.)
Themes
military
|politics
|conflict
Definition
A large group of soldiers that forms an important unit in an army, usually led by a senior officer.
A large, organized military unit made up of several smaller units, usually commanded by a brigadier or brigadier general.
NOUN
B2
2
Usage pattern:
a/an [type] brigade; a brigade of [workers/volunteers]
The local fire brigade arrived within minutes of the call.
A helyi tűzoltóság a hívás után perceken belül kiérkezett.
A volunteer brigade helped distribute food after the flood.
Az árvíz után egy önkéntes brigád segített az élelmiszer kiosztásában.
The rescue brigade worked through the night searching for survivors.
The council set up a clean-up brigade to clear the beaches.
An ambulance brigade stood by throughout the marathon.
Learner examples
The fire brigade came quickly when the house burned.
A tűzoltóság gyorsan kiért, amikor kigyulladt a ház.
A student brigade cleaned the park on Saturday.
Szombaton egy diákbrigád kitakarította a parkot.
Our town has a small volunteer brigade.
The rescue brigade pulled three people from the river.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'brigade' can replace 'team' in every situation. In modern English, 'brigade' is usually used for organized service groups (like fire brigade, rescue brigade) or for groups doing a serious or large task, not just any sports or office team.
Meaning
organized group for a task
Collocations
fire brigade
|ambulance brigade
|rescue brigade
|volunteer brigade
|clean-up brigade
Synonyms
team (More general and more common in everyday English; does not carry the same formal or organized-service feel as 'brigade'.)
Antonyms
individual (Contrasts a coordinated group acting together with a single person acting alone.)
Themes
work
|organizations
|emergencies
|daily_life
Definition
A group of people who work together to do one main job, especially to help or protect others.
A group of people organized to do a particular job, especially public service or emergency work.
NOUN
C1
INFORMAL
3
brigád
B2
Usage pattern:
the [adjective/noun] brigade
The health-and-safety brigade complained that the new playground was too risky.
A biztonságmániás brigád arra panaszkodott, hogy az új játszótér túl kockázatos.
He dismissed his critics as just another online outrage brigade.
Legyintett a kritikusaira, mondván, hogy csak egy újabb online felháborodásbrigád.
The grammar brigade will hate those text-message abbreviations.
The clean-eating brigade insists that sugar should be completely banned.
She joked that the fashion brigade would never approve of her old jeans.
Learner examples
He called his critics the "online police brigade."
A kritikusait „online rendőrbrigádnak” nevezte.
The "no-fun brigade" said the party was too loud.
A „mulatsággyilkos brigád” szerint túl hangos volt a buli.
People joked about the "phone-checking brigade" on the train.
She said the "diet brigade" in the office made her feel bad.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this use is neutral. In modern English, phrases like 'the health-and-safety brigade' or 'the moral brigade' are usually disapproving or ironic, suggesting the group is annoying, extreme, or too serious.
Meaning
informal label for opinion group
Collocations
the moral brigade
|the anti-smoking brigade
|the health-and-safety brigade
|the grammar brigade
|the feminist brigade
Synonyms
camp (Refers to people with a shared opinion; less humorous or mocking than 'the X brigade' and not tied to the specific pattern.)
Antonyms
individualist (Highlights a person who does not follow a particular group’s strong shared views or behavior.)
Themes
opinions
|society
|media
|communication
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Used with another word, a funny or critical name for people who all think or act the same way.
Used with a descriptive word, a slightly humorous or critical name for people who share a strong opinion, habit, or way of behaving.
VERB
C2
FORMAL
4
Usage pattern:
to brigade [people] into [groups/units]
Volunteers were brigaded into small teams to canvas the neighborhood.
Az önkénteseket kis csapatokba osztották, hogy házról házra járva felkeressék a környék lakóit.
The workers were brigaded according to their skills and experience.
A dolgozókat szaktudásuk és tapasztalatuk alapján osztották brigádokba.
Students were brigaded into groups of four for the field trip.
Learner examples
The manager brigaded the staff into three groups.
A vezető három csoportba osztotta a személyzetet.
We were brigaded into teams for the project.
A projekthez csapatokba osztottak minket.
They brigaded the volunteers by language ability.
Common mistake:
Many learners never encounter 'brigade' as a verb and may think it is always incorrect. It is rare but correct in formal or technical descriptions of organizing people into groups.
Meaning
organize people into groups
Collocations
brigaded into units
|brigaded together
|brigade workers
|brigade volunteers
Synonyms
organize (More common and broader; does not specifically suggest forming separate, named groups the way 'brigade' does.)
Antonyms
disperse (Means to break people up or send them in different directions, the opposite of grouping them together.)
Themes
work
|organization
|politics
Definition
To put people into groups so they can work or act together in an organized way.
To arrange people into organized groups, especially for work, campaigning, or another coordinated activity.
Grammar
Dictionary form
brigade
IPA
GB/bɹɪɡˈeɪd/
US/bɹɪɡˈeɪd/
Syllables & stress
bri - gade (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (gade)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: brigade
- Plural: brigades
Word family
Forms
brigades
noun
Related words
brigadier
noun
Expressions
fire brigade
1/fˈaɪɚ bɹɪɡˈeɪd/
fixed phrase
organized group of firefighters
The official group of people whose job is to stop fires and rescue people when there is a fire, especially in British English.
Examples
- Someone called the fire brigade when smoke started coming from the roof.
- The local fire brigade is looking for new volunteers.
the [something] brigade
1/ðə sˈʌmθɪŋ bɹɪɡˈeɪd/
fixed phrase
informal
humorous or critical group label
A joking or critical way to talk about people who all think or act the same way, by putting a word before 'brigade', for example 'the fashion brigade' or 'the anti-smoking brigade'.
Examples
- The early-rising brigade had already finished their workout by 7 a.m.
- He complained that the health-food brigade was ruining the office parties.