Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A group of soldiers.
  • noun Military units; soldiers.
  • noun A unit of cavalry, armored vehicles, or artillery in a European army, corresponding to a platoon in the US Army.
  • noun A unit of at least five Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts under the guidance of an adult leader.
  • noun A group or company of people, animals, or things.
  • intransitive verb To move or go as a group or in large numbers.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An assemblage of people; a multitude; a company; a band.
  • noun A body of soldiers: generally used in the plural, signifying soldiers in general, whether more or less numerous, and whether belonging to the infantry, cavalry, or artillery.
  • noun In cavalry, the unit of formation, consisting usually of sixty troopers, commanded by a captain, and corresponding to a company of infantry.
  • noun Hence The command by commission and rank of such a troop of horse.
  • noun A band or company of performers; a troupe.
  • noun A particular roll or call of the drum; a signal for marching.
  • noun Tony's beat of the troop was the signal for the soldiers to assemble.
  • noun A herd or flock of beasts or birds: as, a troop of antelopes or sparrows.
  • To assemble or gather in crowds; flock together.
  • To march; to march in or form part of a troop or company.
  • To march off in haste.
  • To associate or consort.
  • To associate as in a troop or company.
  • To form into troops, as a regiment.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A collection of people; a company; a number; a multitude.
  • noun Soldiers, collectively; an army; -- now generally used in the plural.
  • noun (Mil.) Specifically, a small body of cavalry, light horse, or dragoons, consisting usually of about sixty men, commanded by a captain; the unit of formation of cavalry, corresponding to the company in infantry. Formerly, also, a company of horse artillery; a battery.
  • noun A company of stageplayers; a troupe.
  • noun (Mil.) A particular roll of the drum; a quick march.
  • noun See Boy scout, above.
  • transitive verb in the British army, to perform a ceremony consisting essentially in carrying the colors, accompanied by the band and escort, slowly before the troops drawn up in single file and usually in a hollow square, as in London on the sovereign's birthday.
  • transitive verb in the British army, to perform a ceremony consisting essentially in carrying the colors, accompanied by the band and escort, slowly before the troops drawn up in single file and usually in a hollow square, as in London on the sovereign's birthday.
  • intransitive verb To move in numbers; to come or gather in crowds or troops.
  • intransitive verb To march on; to go forward in haste.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A collection of people; a company; a number; a multitude.
  • noun military A small unit of cavalry or armour commanded by a captain, corresponding to a platoon or company of infantry.
  • noun A detachment of soldiers or police, especially horse artillery, armour, or state troopers.
  • noun Soldiers, military forces (usually "troops").
  • noun nonstandard A company of stageplayers; a troupe.
  • noun A particular roll of the drum
  • noun a unit of girl or boy scouts
  • noun an orderly crowd
  • noun mycology Mushrooms that are in a close group but not close enough to be called a cluster.
  • verb To move in numbers; to come or gather in crowds or troops.
  • verb To march on; to go forward in haste.
  • verb to move or march as if in a crowd; “The children trooped into the room”.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb march in a procession
  • noun a group of soldiers
  • noun a unit of Girl or Boy Scouts
  • noun a cavalry unit corresponding to an infantry company
  • verb move or march as if in a crowd
  • noun an orderly crowd

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French troupe, from Old French trope, probably from Vulgar Latin *troppu-.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Attested in English since 1545, from French troupe (back-formation of troupeau, diminutive of Medieval Latin troppus "flock") and Middle French trouppe (from Old French trope ("band, company, troop")), both of Germanic origin from Old Frankish *þrop (throp, “assembly, gathering”), from Proto-Germanic *þurpan (“village, land, estate”), from Proto-Germanic *treb- (“dwelling, settlement”). Akin to Old English þorp, þrop ("village, farm, estate") (Modern English thorp), Old Frisian þorp, Old Norse þorp. More at thorp.

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Examples

  • As you draw down through July, you then pause with that new force structure, you do what they call a troop-to-task analysis to see if you have enough troops or the right type against the right task to continue the mission.

    CNN Transcript Apr 10, 2008 2008

  • Senate Republicans saying the troop surge, what they call the troop surge, is turning things around.

    CNN Transcript Jul 12, 2007 2007

  • In analyzing what we call troop to task, meaning what do you need to do and how many folks do you need to do it -- in analyzing that, General Casey and his Iraqi counterparts have determined that there are more forces needed, more Iraqi forces for sure.

    CNN Transcript Jan 11, 2007 2007

  • I stood up to pop what we call a troop strap (ph).

    CNN Transcript Aug 5, 2005 2005

  • That sullen, good-for-nothing brute, Balmawhapple, was sent to escort you from Doune, with what he calls his troop of horse.

    Waverley 2004

  • That sullen, good-for-nothing brute, Balmawhapple, was sent to escort you from Doune, with what he calls his troop of horse.

    The Waverley 1877

  • That sullen, good-for-nothing brute, Balmawhapple, was sent to escort you from Doune, with what he calls his troop of horse.

    Waverley — Volume 2 Walter Scott 1801

  • That sullen, good-for-nothing brute, Balmawhapple, was sent to escort you from Doune, with what he calls his troop of horse.

    Waverley: or, 'Tis sixty years since Walter Scott 1801

  • That sullen, good-for-nothing brute, Balmawhapple, was sent to escort you from Doune, with what he calls his troop of horse.

    Waverley Walter Scott 1801

  • That sullen, good-for-nothing brute, Balmawhapple, was sent to escort you from Doune, with what he calls his troop of horse.

    Waverley — Complete Walter Scott 1801

Comments

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  • "We will take whatever measures necessary to win," Bush added. "Isn't that right, Tim?"

    (Old link, but still funny.)

    October 21, 2008