troop

[troop]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR troop ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an assemblage of persons or things; company; band.

a great number or multitude: A whole troop of children swarmed through the museum.

Military. an armored cavalry or cavalry unit consisting of two or more platoons and a headquarters group.

troops, a body of soldiers, police, etc.: Mounted troops quelled the riot.

a single soldier, police officer, etc.: Three troops were killed today by a roadside bomb.

a unit of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts usually having a maximum of 32 members under the guidance of an adult leader.

a herd, flock, or swarm.

Archaic. a band or troupe of actors.

verb (used without object)

to gather in a company; flock together.

to come, go, or pass in great numbers; throng.

to walk, as if in a march; go: to troop down to breakfast.

to walk, march, or pass in rank or order: The students trooped into the auditorium.

to associate or consort (usually followed by with).

verb (used with object)

British Military. to carry (the flag or colors) in a ceremonial way before troops.

Obsolete. to assemble or form into a troop or troops.

Origin of troop

1535–45; < French troupe, Old French trope, probably back formation from tropel herd, flock (French troupeau), equivalent to trop- (< Germanic; see thorp) + -el ≪ Latin -ellus diminutive suffix

Related formsin·ter·troop, adjective

Can be confusedtroop troupe (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonyms for troop

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR troop ON THESAURUS.COM

1. body, group, crowd. 2. crowd, herd, flock, swarm, throng. 9. collect. 10. swarm.

Synonym study

1. See company. 8. Troop, troupe both mean a band, company, or group. Troop has various meanings as indicated in the definitions above. With the spelling troupe the word has the specialized meaning of a company of actors, singers, acrobats, or other performers.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for troop

army, team, crew, delegation, contingent, squad, gang, party, military, unit, servicemen, gathering, corps, number, flock, drove, bunch, horde, crowd, legion

Examples from the Web for troop

Contemporary Examples of troop

Either way Obama does not regret the decisions he made in 2011 that ended the U.S. troop presence in the country.
Obama’s New, Undeclared Iraq War
Eli Lake
August 9, 2014
In effect, Chicago needs a troop surge like what we saw in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Send the National Guard to Chicago
Roland S. Martin
July 9, 2014
But he wants Obama to make a decision on troop levels, and soon.
Will Obama's 10,000 Troops in Afghanistan Be Enough to Stop Al Qaeda?
Eli Lake, Josh Rogin
May 27, 2014
But the failure of the White House to provide specifics for his troop estimates has worried lawmakers.
Will Obama's 10,000 Troops in Afghanistan Be Enough to Stop Al Qaeda?
Eli Lake, Josh Rogin
May 27, 2014
On Thursday, Breedlove published a set of commercial satellite photos showing Russian troop positions in Ukraine.
Exclusive: Key General Splits With Obama Over Ukraine
Eli Lake
April 11, 2014

Historical Examples of troop

Gen. Marion had rallied a troop there, and checked the pursuit.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion
William Dobein James
"It is well to have a learned clerk in every troop," said Sir Nigel.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
He ordered the first troop to mount, and the second to cover the retirement.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
A troop trotted off to the right out of the line fire of the fort.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
Never a village fool without a troop of babies at his heels.
The Village Watch-Tower
(AKA Kate Douglas Riggs) Kate Douglas Wiggin

British Dictionary definitions for troop

troop

noun

a large group or assembly; flocka troop of children

a subdivision of a cavalry squadron or artillery battery of about platoon size

(plural) armed forces; soldiers

a large group of Scouts comprising several patrols

an archaic spelling of troupe

verb

(intr) to gather, move, or march in or as if in a crowd

(tr) military, mainly British to parade (the colour or flag) ceremoniallytrooping the colour

(tr) British military slang (formerly) to report (a serviceman) for a breach of discipline

(intr) an archaic word for consort (def. 1)

Word Origin for troop

C16: from French troupe, from troupeau flock, of Germanic origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for troop

1540s, "body of soldiers," from Middle French troupe, from Old French trope "band of people, company, troop" (13c.), probably from Frankish *throp "assembly, gathering of people" (cf. Old English ðorp, Old Norse thorp "village," see thorp). OED derives the French word from Latin troppus "flock," which is of unknown origin but may be from the Germanic source.

1560s, "to assemble," from troop (n.). Meaning "to march" is recorded from 1590s; that of "to go in great numbers, to flock" is from c.1600. Related: Trooped; trooping.