trooper

American  

[troo-per] / ˈtru pər /

noun

1. a state trooper.

2. a mounted police officer; a police officer on horseback.

3. a soldier in a cavalry that uses horses.

4. null trouper a persevering, dependable person who works hard or who bravely endures adversity.

   He's a real trooper, even when the going gets tough.

5. a cavalry horse.

6. Chiefly British. a troopship.

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trooper British  

/ ˈtruːpə /

noun

1. a soldier in a cavalry regiment

2. a mounted policeman

3. a state policeman

4. a cavalry horse

5. informal a troopship

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trooper Idioms  

1. see swear like a trooper.

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Etymology

Origin of trooper

First recorded in 1630–40; troop + -er ¹

Example Sentences

When it came time for everyone to leave, his eyes welled up as he gripped one of the trooper’s arms.

From Literature

“In Georgia and Florida, you don’t have ICE patrols, you have state troopers. So what type of community defense strategy do you create to fight patrol state police?”

From Los Angeles Times

The juvenile sat there for more than an hour as troopers waited for wildlife officials to arrive, with local broadcasters capturing gripping footage of the cub in the middle of the roadway.

From Los Angeles Times

In one instance witnessed by a Journal reporter in July, ICE officers in Lake Worth, Fla., snapped pictures of two Guatemalan men whom a state trooper had just stopped.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper on a motorcycle pulled her over anyway.

From Salon

Related Words

• commando
• fighter
• guard
• guerrilla
• marine
• mercenary
• officer
• paratrooper
• pilot
• veteran
• volunteer