Troop
Troop , noun
[French troupe, Old French trope, trupe, Late Latin troppus; of uncertain origin; compare Icelandic þorp a hamlet, village, German dorf a village, dial. German dorf a meeting. Norw. torp a little farm, a crowd, English thorp. Compare Troupe.]
1.
A collection of people; a company; a number; a multitude.
That which should accompany old age --
As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends --
I must not look to have.
2.
Soldiers, collectively; an army; -- now generally used in the plural.
Farewell the plumed troop, and the big wars.
His troops moved to victory with the precision of machines.
3.
(Military) 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.
4.
A company of stageplayers; a troupe. — W. Coxe
5.
(Military) A particular roll of the drum; a quick march.
6.
See Boy scout, above.
Troop , intransitive verb
1.
To move in numbers; to come or gather in crowds or troops.
Armies... troop to their standard.
2.
To march on; to go forward in haste.
Nor do I, as an enemy to peace,
Troop in the throngs of military men.
Troop , transitive verb
Collocations (1)
To troop the colors or To troop the colours (Military) , 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.