household troops

American  

plural noun

1. troops guarding or attending a sovereign or a sovereign's residence.

---

household troops British  

plural noun

1. the infantry and cavalry regiments that carry out escort and guard duties for a head of state

---

Etymology

Origin of household troops

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

In a recent book called Twentieth Century Socialism, the "household troops" made some startling admissions.

From Time Magazine Archive

He had begun life as an officer in the French household troops in absolute boyhood.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 55, No. 339, January, 1844 by Various

The first to cross were the ten thousand household troops, called Immortals, wearing garlands on their heads; then followed Xerxes himself in his gilded chariot, and then the rest of the army.

From Ancient States and Empires by Lord, John

He threw himself among them, called some French guards who were near, and having rescued the household troops and dispersed their assailant, he hurried to the château.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 12 — Modern History by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir

The household troops, the only real soldiers who could be depended upon, were marching from London, and were likely to prove formidable antagonists to Monmouth’s ill-disciplined volunteers.

From Roger Willoughby A Story of the Times of Benbow by Webb, Archibald