SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

troop

noun \ ˈtrüp \

Updated on: 15 May 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

Two members of the Future Business Leaders of America chapter at Cinco Ranch High School reached out to American troops stationed overseas through Operation Shoebox.

— karen zurawski, Houston Chronicle, "Cinco Ranch students serve community, learn leadership skills," 12 May 2018
Here, the United States is reducing its troop presence and gambling that common interests with former adversaries will help prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State.

— margaret coker, New York Times, "U.S. Takes a Risk: Old Iraqi Enemies Are Now Allies," 11 May 2018
An Israeli military spokesman said the rockets were fired by Iran's Quds Force, a special forces unit affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, marking the first time Iranian forces have ever fired directly on Israeli troops.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Israel launches military strike against Iranian targets in Syria," 10 May 2018
Four Nigerien troops were killed and two American soldiers and eight Nigerien forces were wounded.

— lolita c. baldor, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Report finds multiple failures in Niger ambush that killed 4, including South Florida soldier," 10 May 2018
Changes already have been made to better prepare and protect U.S. troops across Africa, Waldhauser said.

— USA TODAY, "911, what's your emergency? #LivingWhileBlack," 10 May 2018
An Israeli military spokesman said the rockets were fired by Iran's Quds Force, a special forces unit affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, marking the first time Iranian forces have ever fired directly on Israeli troops.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Israel launches massive military strike against Iranian targets in Syria," 10 May 2018
Federal government troops drove the rebels from the city on June 22, 1911.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "May 9, 1911: Tijuana falls to rebels," 9 May 2018
The Dulaney High sophomore gathered 20 participants from Girl Scout troops 2246, 5375 and 1980.

— courtney mcgee, baltimoresun.com, "A world of thanks for helpers big and small in the Towson area," 9 May 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

troop Synonyms

Synonyms

armed forces, colors, military, service;

Near Antonyms

civilians, noncombatants;

Related Words

GIs (or GI's), men-at-arms, rank and file, servicemen, servicewomen, soldiers, soldiery;

militia, reserves;

armor, defense;

Other Military Terms

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

2

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

Some of the larger accounts call in orders, but not many individuals are trooping from Downtown Brooklyn for a pen or roll of Scotch tape.

— joseph berger, New York Times, "Reinvention of a Fountain Pen Purveyor," 6 Apr. 2018
At some point Kia board members must have trooped down to the design center in Namyang for a formal signoff.

— dan neil, WSJ, "2018 Kia Stinger GT2: The Best German Car to Come Out of South Korea," 6 Apr. 2018
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

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.

First Known Use of troop

1565

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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

1

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

2

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up troop? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

riposte

play

a quick and clever reply

BROWSE DICTIONARY

troödont

troolie

troop

troop carrier

troop committee

Test Your Vocabulary

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of raillery?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Noun + Verb Insult Generator

A collection of obscure put-downs

alt-5b0834b915e3f

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

A judgment call

alt-5b06e60511014

'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

Nobody wants to be either.

alt-5b05d8545c817

'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Tag the way you want to tag.

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz

Add Diction

Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.

Play the game

Examples: troop in a Sentence