troopship

American  

[troop-ship] / ˈtrupˌʃɪp /

noun

1. a ship for the conveyance of military troops; transport.

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troopship British  

/ ˈtruːpˌʃɪp /

noun

1. a ship, usually a converted merchant ship, used to transport military personnel

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Etymology

Origin of troopship

First recorded in 1860–65; troop + ship ¹

Example Sentences

In 1948, the former troopship Empire Windrush had docked at Essex carrying 492 migrants from the West Indies, attracted by the jobs boom created by postwar reconstruction.

From BBC • May 21, 2025

After the start of World War II, it was painted gray and converted into a troopship that ferried Allied soldiers, earning the nickname the “Grey Ghost” for its speed and camouflaged color.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2021

The Buford was an elderly, decrepit troopship, known by sailors as a heavy “roller” in rough seas.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 4, 2019

This was the loss of the troopship HMT Rohna, a converted British cargo ship sunk in 1943 off the African coast by a German guided missile at a cost of 1,015 U.S. soldiers.

From Washington Times • May 27, 2019

“They don’t seem to realize,” she whispered, “how powerful the Royal Fleet is. Once when the Royalists were trying to hold Bridge town, Barbados, Parliament sent a troopship and subdued them in no time.”

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare