death squad
23
9.7
- noun
- /dɛθ skwɑd/
- Offensive
:
escuadrón de la muerte
- Many of these immigrants were themselves children of families who survived death squads and genocide during military rule in Central America.
- paramilitary death squad
- right-wing death squads
- vigilante death squads
People were being killed, death squads were out there.
- People were being killed, death squads were out there.
- And say it's an incoherent, violent war between Shia and Sunni death squads.
- Iraq today is just a, you know, incoherent battle between Shia and Sunni death squads.
- We're seeing these death squads viciously raping women and children in front of their parents, in front of the entire St.
- Is it heartbreaking to you that the so-called Donahar death squad split or the team, as it was originally called split?
Examples
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Violence, too, played a part in Durazo's empire; death squads operated under his protection for a price.
Academic text (1990) -
Ruthless regimes, backed by torture chambers and death squads, were driven from power by citizens who had no guns, tanks, bombs, or armies.
Academic text (2005) -
Executed by a government death squad.
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People were being killed, death squads were out there.
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So you start seeing these death squads that start up from police who are trying to do their job.
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Her family was wiped out by the death squads, except for her little daughter.
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Some of this violence is perpetrated by vigilantes, including right-wing death squads in countries like Mexico and Brazil.
Blog text (13) -
The assassination of the archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero, by right-wing death squads on March 24, 1980, is a well-known example.
Academic text (1999) -
The illegal paramilitary death squads, known as the AUC (United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia), claim 11,000 members.
Academic text (2001) -
The government faced heavy criticism after revelations that a death squad operated without accountability.
Synonyms
6
8.4
A group of people hired to kill someone for political or criminal reasons
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally transparent: 'death' (end of life) + 'squad' (a small purpose-driven unit) straightforwardly yields the idea of a group whose purpose is to cause death, so a B1 learner who knows both words would infer it refers to a group that carries out killings. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish 'escuadrón de la muerte') support this, though finer legal/political nuances (clandestine status or official sanction) require more background knowledge.
Etymology
Death squad comes from the clear image of a small armed team, a squad, sent out to bring death to chosen people. These groups often act in secret and kill people without any legal trial, so the phrase now means 'a secret group that carries out killings of opponents or suspected criminals'.