troop

[ troop ]

noun

1. an assemblage of persons or things; company; band.

   Synonyms: crowd, group, body

2. a great number or multitude:

   A whole troop of children swarmed through the museum.

   Synonyms: throng, swarm, flock, herd, crowd

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.

verb (used without object)

1. to gather in a company; flock together.

   Synonyms: collect

2. to come, go, or pass in great numbers; throng.

   Synonyms: swarm

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 ).

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.

troop

/ truːp /

noun

1. a large group or assembly; flock

   a 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

verb

1. intr to gather, move, or march in or as if in a crowd
2. tr military to parade (the colour or flag) ceremonially

   trooping the colour

3. slang.
   tr military (formerly) to report (a serviceman) for a breach of discipline
4. intr an archaic word for consort

Other Words From

• inter·troop adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of troop¹

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; thorp ) + -el, ultimately from Latin -ellus diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of troop¹

C16: from French troupe , from troupeau flock, of Germanic origin

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

By Wednesday evening, on Fox News, Graham was rallying the troops: “To every Republican, give Matt a chance.”

From Salon

The unit he inherited required an overhaul to deal with thousands more incoming troops.

From Los Angeles Times

Reports of Russian troops deployed in the country first surfaced in August.

From BBC

Apparently on a whim, he ordered the withdrawal of American troops from Somalia, where they were involved in the war against the jihadist group al-Shabab - a decision reversed by the Biden administration.

From BBC

North Korean troops have joined the war on Moscow’s side.

From BBC

Related Words

• association
• band
• cast
• crew
• ensemble
• gang