flotilla
noun
Did you know?
Flotilla comes from the diminutive form of the Spanish noun flota, meaning "fleet." Flota derives via Old French from Old Norse floti and is related to Old English flota (meaning "ship" or "fleet"), an ancestor to English's float. Much like other words referring to groups of particular things (such as swarm), flotilla has taken on expanded usage to refer simply to a large number of something not necessarily having to do with nautical matters, often with humorous effect (e.g., "a flotilla of rather mature-looking male models" — Jed Perl, The New Republic).
Examples of flotilla in a Sentence
David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
Bailey recounted how, when flying a 777 airliner over the Persian Gulf, a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group once ordered him to alter his course to avoid going over the US flotilla.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 25 Feb. 2025
Based out of smaller home ports such as Greenport on Long Island, the Picket Force flotilla was known informally as the Corsair Fleet or, sometimes, the Hooligan Navy, an unsubtle nod to the ragtag collection of mariners at its core.
—David Wolman, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025
But as a flotilla of barges carried more than 6,000 athletes along the Seine, there was a notable absentee: Russia.
—Dan Sheldon, The Athletic, 27 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for flotilla
Cite this Entry
“Flotilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flotilla. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flotilla
noun
Share