soldiers collectively
"The general ordered all troops to advance across the river before dawn."
plural of troop
"The marching troops saluted as their commanding officer rode past on horseback."
military personnel in uniform
In plain English: Troops are groups of soldiers who work together as an army unit.
"The army deployed thousands of troops to secure the border region."
Usage: Use "troops" to refer collectively to soldiers or police officers, especially when emphasizing their group identity rather than individual members. Avoid using the singular form unless referring specifically to one soldier as a member of that unit.
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of troop
"The army trooped into the village to receive their supplies."
In plain English: To troop means to move forward together as a group, usually in an organized line.
"The general ordered his troops to march forward at dawn."
plural of Troop
"The new recruits gathered their personal gear and marched out as part of troop 402 before dawn."
Derived from Old French troppe, meaning "a crowd" or "multitude," the term originally referred to an indefinite number of people before narrowing in English to denote military units.