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troop

[troop]
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noun
  1. an assemblage of persons or things; company; band.
  2. a great number or multitude: A whole troop of children swarmed through the museum.
  3. Military. an armored cavalry or cavalry unit consisting of two or more platoons and a headquarters group.
  4. troops, a body of soldiers, police, etc.: Mounted troops quelled the riot.
  5. a single soldier, police officer, etc.: Three troops were killed today by a roadside bomb.
  6. a unit of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts usually having a maximum of 32 members under the guidance of an adult leader.
  7. a herd, flock, or swarm.
  8. Archaic. a band or troupe of actors.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to gather in a company; flock together.
  2. to come, go, or pass in great numbers; throng.
  3. to walk, as if in a march; go: to troop down to breakfast.
  4. to walk, march, or pass in rank or order: The students trooped into the auditorium.
  5. to associate or consort (usually followed by with).
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verb (used with object)
  1. British Military. to carry (the flag or colors) in a ceremonial way before troops.
  2. Obsolete. to assemble or form into a troop or troops.
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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

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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. 2018

Related Words

armyteamcrewdelegationcontingentsquadgangpartymilitaryunitservicemengatheringcorpsnumberflockdrovebunchhordecrowdlegion

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British Dictionary definitions for troop

troop

noun
  1. a large group or assembly; flocka troop of children
  2. a subdivision of a cavalry squadron or artillery battery of about platoon size
  3. (plural) armed forces; soldiers
  4. a large group of Scouts comprising several patrols
  5. an archaic spelling of troupe
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verb
  1. (intr) to gather, move, or march in or as if in a crowd
  2. (tr) military, mainly British to parade (the colour or flag) ceremoniallytrooping the colour
  3. (tr) British military slang (formerly) to report (a serviceman) for a breach of discipline
  4. (intr) an archaic word for consort (def. 1)
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Word Origin

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

n.

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.

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v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper