troop
Americannoun
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troops
plural
-
an assemblage of persons or things; company; band.
-
a great number or multitude.
A whole troop of children swarmed through the museum.
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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.
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a single soldier, police officer, etc..
Three troops were killed today by a roadside bomb.
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a unit of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts usually having a maximum of 32 members under the guidance of an adult leader.
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a herd, flock, or swarm.
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Archaic. a band or troupe of actors.
verb (used without object)
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troops,
present (3rd person singular)
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trooped,
past participle, past
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trooping
present participle
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to gather in a company; flock together.
- Synonyms:
- collect
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to come, go, or pass in great numbers; throng.
- Synonyms:
- swarm
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to walk, as if in a march; go.
to troop down to breakfast.
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to walk, march, or pass in rank or order.
The students trooped into the auditorium.
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to associate or consort (usually followed bywith ).
verb (used with object)
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troops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trooped,
past participle, past
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trooping
present participle
-
British Military. to carry (the flag or colors) in a ceremonial way before troops.
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Obsolete. to assemble or form into a troop or troops.
noun
-
a large group or assembly; flock
a troop of children
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a subdivision of a cavalry squadron or artillery battery of about platoon size
-
(plural) armed forces; soldiers
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a large group of Scouts comprising several patrols
-
an archaic spelling of troupe
verb
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(intr) to gather, move, or march in or as if in a crowd
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(tr) military to parade (the colour or flag) ceremonially
trooping the colour
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slang (tr) military (formerly) to report (a serviceman) for a breach of discipline
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(intr) an archaic word for consort
Synonym Usage
See company. 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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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troopsimple
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troopssimple
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have troopedperfect
-
has troopedperfect
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am troopingprogressive
-
are troopingprogressive
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is troopingprogressive
-
have been troopingperfect progressive
-
has been troopingperfect progressive
Past
-
troopedsimple
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had troopedperfect
-
was troopingprogressive
-
were troopingprogressive
-
had been troopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of troop
First recorded in 1535–45; from French troupe, Old French trope, probably back formation from tropel “herd, flock” ( French troupeau ), equivalent to trop- (from Germanic; see thorp) + -el, ultimately from Latin -ellus diminutive suffix
Explanation
A troop is a squad or team of soldiers. Your great grandfather might claim that his was the first army troop to march into France during World War II. Though it's correct to use the noun troop in the singular form, it's more common to see its plural, troops. You can also refer to a group of Girl or Boy Scouts this way: "My troop won a prize for selling the most Girl Scout cookies this year." To troop is also to march, so a military troop might troop down the street in the Veteran's Day parade. The root word is the Old French trope, "band of people."
Vocabulary lists containing troop
Veterans Day Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Memorial Day: Words of Respect and Remembrance
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Commonly Confused Words, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After a briefing in a nearby car park, we troop down to the water's edge clutching white plastic buckets to begin the hunt.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The Iran war provided Hegseth and Colby with a new opportunity to rethink troop commitments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
But the prospect of further U.S. troop cuts in Europe is still looming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Speaking as a former troop myself, I have my doubts.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
She generally slept in the middle of a troop of girls.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
More than 18,000 South Korean troops were expected to participate in the exercise along with U.S. forces in operations that would focus on fighting drones and cyberattacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
No official statement has been released of the talks reportedly focusing on concrete actions to decommission Hamas's weapons - as well as the withdrawal of Israeli troops and humanitarian efforts.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
They took the capital unopposed after a lightning offensive that swept across Afghanistan, toppling government forces in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
U.S. troops are routinely asked to face dangerous and adverse circumstances.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
An American tank breaks through the fence of the compound, followed by seven others and twenty trucks loaded with troops.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
After some cheese and crackers and forced bonhomie, we all trooped back to our desks and then commuted home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
But he has fond memories of the looks on his kids’ faces as they trooped into his little dungeon to kiss him good night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2024
Eighty percent of 205 million registered voters across 17,000 islands and three time zones trooped to polling centres last 14 February, making it the world's largest single-day election.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2024
Women vendors at a marketplace close to the bar chatted away as customers trooped in to buy vegetables for supper.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 21, 2023
They trooped off, and the older children took their places on the rocks.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
"People are trooping to the Hakimpur border check-post since Tuesday after hearing that crossover to Bangladesh is possible from this outpost," senior state police official Subrata Saha told AFP at the site.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
People begin trooping in and it fills with 30 or so people.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2023
Despite the drinking ban issued by the palace, during a recent visit AP witnessed residents trooping to the river daily to fill up gallon containers for domestic use.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2022
After trooping up to Capitol Hill again that month, Mnuchin predicted there would be a deal on a second stimulus package in 10 days — before the unemployment benefits expired at the end of July.
From New York Times ● Sep. 29, 2020
Half heaven was pure and stainless: the clouds, now trooping before the wind, which had shifted to the west, were filing off eastward in long, silvered columns.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
