troop

[ troop ]

/ trup /

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.

Nearby words

trondheim, trondheim fiord, trondhjemite, trone, tronk, troop, troop carrier, trooper, troopship, troostite, troostitic

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

SYNONYMS FOR troop

1 body, group, crowd.

2 crowd, herd, flock, swarm, throng.

9 collect.

10 swarm.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR troop ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsin·ter·troop, adjective

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

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

Republicans are not alone in urging President Obama to share intelligence with Ukraine on Russian troop movements.
Key Democrat Calls For More Intelligence Sharing With Ukraine|Eli Lake|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he passes on at last, with a troop of boys following to the town limits.
Ways of Wood Folk|William J. Long
After this he took his leave, the troop mounted their horses and departed.
Round About the Carpathians|Andrew F. Crosse
Just imagine yourself in the presence of a troop of lions on the plain, or a school of sharks in the open ocean!
Five Weeks in a Balloon|Jules Verne
And the troop resumed its march to the sound of the Vagres' song.
The Poniard's Hilt|Eugne Sue
He is a good-natured, easy-going man of middle age, and usually surrounded by a troop of children, his own and all the neighbors'.
The Unwritten Literature of the Hopi|Hattie Greene Lockett

British Dictionary definitions for troop

troop

/ (truːp) /

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 (1 of 2)

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.

Word Origin and History for troop (1 of 2)

troop

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.

troop

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verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of troop

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for troop

British Dictionary definitions for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} troop

troop

noun

verb

Word Origin for troop

Word Origin and History for troop (1 of 2)

troop

Word Origin and History for troop (1 of 2)

troop

noun

British Dictionary definitions for troop