troupe
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See troop.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of troupe
1815–25, < French: troop
Explanation
You can call a group of performers a troupe. The kids you dance with are your dance troupe, and the jugglers and clowns at your friend's party might be a circus troupe. If you love performing improvisational comedy, you may want to join a local improv troupe, and if you like the idea of caroling at Christmas time, you can form a troupe of singers to sing carols with in December. Troupe is a French word meaning "company of performers," which earlier meant "company of soldiers." It shares a root with troop.
Vocabulary lists containing troupe
Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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!
Theater - Introductory
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!
All's Faire in Middle School
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:
Oddie was born in Rochdale, near Manchester, and grew up in Birmingham before attending Cambridge University, where he was a member of the illustrious Footlights comedy troupe.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Chip falls in with a troupe of street performers, evades the police, juggles along the Seine and eventually wanders into a smoky bar, where Penelope is strumming her guitar.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
An hour before the climb, I arrive at the Zimmerman Bandstand, where a troupe wearing Navy whites plays jaunty tunes.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Backstage, every gesture from the troupe was ultra-confident.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
It’s hellishly complex, and my father was probably the only one in the troupe who could do it justice.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Now a smorgasbord of other groups from book clubs to dance troupes to golf gatherings are landing similar deals, turning the humble hobby into a new frontier for advertising.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
The band takes care with its stages as a platform for Filipino culture — it champions local fashion designers in stage outfits, and its backup dancers are from elite troupes in the Philippines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Until Friday, Amdjarass hosts dance troupes, musicians, traditional storytellers, craftspeople, cooks and nomadic camel drivers from across the vast region.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
Tudyk’s comedy talent developed through extensive study beyond his time in improv troupes, at Julliard or as a Broadway performer.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2024
Even the most dedicated troupes have an occasional lackluster performance, especially when they know they can get away with it.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
We trouped down the stairs into a long, narrow, cavelike space burrowing into the hill, taken up almost entirely by a gleaming wood bar.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 8, 2015
Outfitted in caps and gowns, the singer Nellie McKay and her musicians trouped onto the stage of Feinstein’s at Loews Regency on Tuesday evening with mischievous smirks on their faces.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2012
More than 400 tour groups, from government agency planners to corporations to architects, have trouped through since the first employees moved in last summer.
From New York Times ● Feb. 14, 2011
Red flags decked the streets as 800 delegates, tieless and in shirtsleeves, trouped into Le Havre's vast, unfinished city hall.
From Time Magazine Archive
Suddenly the singing and accompaniment came to a sudden halt and the whole of the company trouped in from adjoining rooms.
From The Woman's Part A Record of Munitions Work by Yates, L. K.
Not long now: The teams are out on the pitch, Sheffield United trouping out first, closely followed by Liverpool.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 24, 2020
That appeal has sent “Hamilton” trouping across the United States.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2017
Where They Are Now Annette Kellerman, shapely shocker of yesteryear, one-piece bathing-suit pioneer: now 55, trouping for the Australian Red Cross.
From Time Magazine Archive
Most of the 200 other trouping golfers, who hopefully embarked on the winter circuit last December, pocketed nothing but Experience.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Say, listen here, Old-timer, remember I been trouping man and boy for over forty year and it's hard to fool me—you working?"
From Merton of the Movies by Wilson, Harry Leon
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.
