trooper
trooper Lexical Profile
trooper Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A state police officer, or a mounted police officer.
"The state trooper pulled over the speeding vehicle along the interstate highway."
A private soldier in a cavalry regiment, armored unit, or airborne force.
"Each trooper in the airborne division completed rigorous training before deployment."
A reliable, uncomplaining person who perseveres through a difficult or tiring situation (often a variant of 'trouper').
"She was a real trooper throughout the long recovery process, never once losing her optimism."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with the homophone 'trouper', which specifically refers to an actor or member of a theatrical troupe and, by extension, a dependable person who perseveres through difficulty; however, in informal usage, 'trooper' is frequently used in that figurative sense as well.
• Rhymes for trooper
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the mid-17th century from 'troop' (borrowed from French 'troupe', meaning a company or band of people) plus the agentive suffix '-er', originally denoting a cavalry soldier.