corps

American  

[kawr] / kɔr /

noun

plural

corps

1. Military.

   1. a military organization consisting of officers and enlisted personnel or of officers alone: corps of cadets.

      the U.S. Marine Corps;

      corps of cadets.

   2. Also called army corps.  a military unit of ground combat forces consisting of two or more divisions and other troops.

2. a group of persons associated or acting together.

   the diplomatic corps;

   the press corps.

   Synonyms:

   band, crew, force, team

3. Printing. a Continental designation that, preceded by a number, indicates size of type in Didot points of 0.0148 inch (3.8 millimeters).

   14 corps.

4. Obsolete. corpse.

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corps British  

/ kɔː /

noun

1. a military formation that comprises two or more divisions and additional support arms

2. a military body with a specific function

   intelligence corps

   medical corps

3. a body of people associated together

   the diplomatic corps

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Etymology

Origin of corps

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English corps, cors, from Middle French, from Latin corpus “body”; see also corpse

Explanation

A corps is an army unit consisting of at least two divisions. This word can also refer to other groups of people, like a press corps, which is a gang of journalists trying to get the scoop. Although the word corps comes from the Latin corpus, for “body,” don’t pronounce the p or you’re talking about the kind of body that goes in a coffin. The main meaning of a corps (which is singular despite the s) is a unit of the army. The word applies to other groups, too. A law firm has a corps of lawyers, a doctor has a corps of nurses, and a tiny car could have a corps of clowns.

Example Sentences

“There has been no change in the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” Sardar Mohebbi, a spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said according to Tasnim, a news agency affiliated with the paramilitary group.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

The district reflects a mix of suburban commuter communities and is located near major military installations like Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and the Naval Weapons Station in Fallbrook.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Among them were the first female commandant of the Coast Guard, the head of the Army’s Chaplain Corps, and a four-star general overseeing the Army’s Transformation and Training Command.

From Salon • May 1, 2026

Now the Russians' reputation "has taken a huge blow" after the failure of its Africa Corps to defend major cities and the fall of Kidal, Laessing added.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

But Bull felt an obligation to his men that they be exposed to some of the true wild men who still inhabited the ranks of the Corps.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• band
• body
• contingent
• crew
• detachment
• division
• squad
• squadron
• troop
• troupe
• unit