flotilla
noun
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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
Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Clinton and his flotilla made their way east to the canal’s terminus in Albany, then down the Hudson River to New York City.
—Matthew Smith, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2025
Katy Puig vomited a gush of seawater as a boater hoisted her unconscious body out of the water, fighting the current to get her to a yacht that had come to the rescue before first responders arrived in a flotilla.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
The event was commemorated in style, with a flotilla of yachts in the Arabian Sea, starting out from the historic monument, the Gateway of India.
—Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flotilla
Cite this Entry
“Flotilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flotilla. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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flotilla
noun
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