troop

noun \ ˈtrüp \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of troop

1 a : a group of soldiers

b : a cavalry unit corresponding to an infantry company

c troops plural : armed forces, soldiers

2 : a collection of people or things : crew 2

3 : a flock of mammals or birds

4 : the basic organizational unit of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts under an adult leader

See troop defined for English-language learners

See troop defined for kids

Examples of troop in a Sentence

Where is his troop heading?
a plan to withdraw troops
a troop of enthusiastic children

Recent Examples of troop from the Web

When the regiment ships out to France, Stubby proves to be much more than that, sniffing out wounded soldiers in the field and warning American troops and French villagers of an impending mustard-gas attack.

— pat padua, kansascity, "‘Sgt. Stubby’ is an endearing tale of canine courage under fire | The Kansas City Star," 12 Apr. 2018
The Russian military contingent in Syria is slightly smaller — estimated at fewer than 2,000 troops and fewer than 100 warplanes.

— david s. cloud, latimes.com, "As Trump considers military action on Syria, Pentagon worries it could put Russian soldiers in the crosshairs," 11 Apr. 2018
Iran is one of Assad’s strongest backers and has sent thousands of troops and allied militiamen to support his forces.

— Washington Post, "Syrian troops on alert after US threatens military action," 10 Apr. 2018
Iran is one of Assad's strongest backers and has sent thousands of troops and allied militiamen to support his forces.

— bassem mroue, chicagotribune.com, "Chemical weapons watchdog to send inspectors to Syria," 10 Apr. 2018
Iran is one of Assad’s strongest backers and has sent thousands of troops and allied militiamen to support his forces.

— Time, "Chemical Weapons Experts to Inspect Gassed Syrian Town, Possibly to Prevent U.S. Military Action," 10 Apr. 2018
Nearly a third of the residents — 1,700 troops and contractors — are assigned to the Detention Center Zone.

— carol rosenberg, miamiherald, "It's more than a terror prison: 12 things you probably didn't know about Guantánamo | Miami Herald," 10 Apr. 2018
Iran is one of Assad's strongest backers and has sent thousands of troops and allied militiamen to support his forces.

— samuel chamberlain, Fox News, "Russia vetoes US resolution on Syria gas attack," 10 Apr. 2018
But on Thursday stunning leaks from the White House situation room revealed that in a contentious exchange, Trump demanded the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops and an end to the civilian stabilization program.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Hates ‘Arbitrary Timelines,’ Yet Gave Military 6 Months to Exit Syria: Report," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'troop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of troop

Middle French trope, troupe company, herd, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English thorp, throp village — more at thorp

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1545

See Words from the same year

troop Synonyms

Synonyms

armed forces, colors, military, service;

Near Antonyms

civilians, noncombatants;

force;

militia, reserves;

armor, defense;

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

troop

verb

Definition of troop

intransitive verb

1 : to move or gather in crowds

2 : to go one's way : walk

3 : to spend time together : associate

4 : to move in large numbers

See troop defined for English-language learners

Examples of troop in a Sentence

We all trooped back inside.
The kids trooped off to school.

Recent Examples of troop from the Web

Senators and other important people trooped to her Watergate home for parties featuring delicacies made by her Cantonese chef.

— james r. hagerty, WSJ, "Anna Chennault Bridged East and West but Wasn’t Always Appreciated," 6 Apr. 2018
So Luef and her colleagues trooped off to the Republic of the Congo to spend some time with two different populations of western lowlands gorillas, which have the easy-to-remember Linnaean subspecies designation of Gorilla g. gorilla.

— steve mirsky, Scientific American, "Gorillas Hum and Sing While They Eat to Say, “Do Not Disturb”," 1 May 2017
Performers trooped up and down from the basement between scenes.

— anne kadet, WSJ, "When Turning Your Living Room Into a Pop-Up Nightclub Seems Like a Good Idea," 13 Mar. 2018
And then a dozen students trooped up to a bank of shortwave radios and read their questions into the mike.

— steve rubenstein, San Francisco Chronicle, "Orbiting astronaut talks life in space with San Bruno students via ham radio," 7 Mar. 2018
And so, the kids trooped around Capitol Hill on Monday and Tuesday, meeting with top leaders in both parties.

— jamie dupree, AJC.com, "Florida students quietly lobby lawmakers in Congress on gun control, school safety," 27 Feb. 2018
As Brazil trooped off at the end, Uruguay’s giddy heroes hugged referee Reader.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 17 Weeks to Go - 'Maracanazo': the Day Uruguay Silenced the Samba," 22 Feb. 2018
Crowd control is exercised with firm-handed finesse, as pirates troop in and out while maidens waft about like Wagnerian swans.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "'Pirates of Penzance,' with a piña colada: Gilbert & Sullivan plays as interactive party," 26 Jan. 2018
The models trooped out in Céline’s sleeveless tees, now in silk with a twist in front, and soft trousers flopping over furry slides.

— cathy horyn, The Cut, "Phoebe Philo and the Death of Leisure Time," 22 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of troop

1565

TROOP Defined for English Language Learners

troop

noun

Definition of troop for English Language Learners

: a group of soldiers
troops : soldiers in a group
: a group of people or things

troop

verb

Definition of troop for English Language Learners

: to walk somewhere in a group

TROOP Defined for Kids

troop

noun \ ˈtrüp \

Definition of troop for Students

1 : a group of soldiers

2 troops plural : armed forces : military

3 : a group of beings or things

Troops of fans turned out for the game.

4 : a unit of boy or girl scouts under a leader

troop

verb

Definition of troop for Students

trooped; trooping

: to move or gather in groups

… the penguins trooped past him.
—Richard and Florence Atwater, Mr. Popper's Penguins

Learn More about troop

See words that rhyme with troop Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for troop Spanish Central: Translation of troop Nglish: Translation of troop for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of troop for Arabic speakers

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troop

Definition of troop

Examples of troop in a Sentence

Recent Examples of troop from the Web

Origin and Etymology of troop

troop Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Military Terms

troop

Definition of troop

Examples of troop in a Sentence

Recent Examples of troop from the Web

First Known Use of troop

Phrases Related to TROOP

Related Phrases

TROOP Defined for English Language Learners

troop

Definition of troop for English Language Learners

troop

Definition of troop for English Language Learners

TROOP Defined for Kids

troop

Definition of troop for Students

troop

Definition of troop for Students

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