state trooper
46
3.5
- noun
- /steɪt ˈtruːpər/
- US
:
policía estatal (EE. UU.)
- The state trooper stopped the speeding car on the highway.
- state troopers pulled
- state troopers and police
- state troopers and sheriffs
All the state troopers and all the police were awful.
- All the state troopers and all the police were awful.
- It was snowy field and he was a retired state trooper.
- And these task forces consist of federal agents, local cops and state troopers.
- You claim that like, you know, your job is incredibly stressful and terrifying in Washington state as a state trooper.
- The state troopers are saying no, the roads are impassable, both the Interstate and the back roads.
- And I know ever since too, that the state trooper has spoken out who actually arrested him back then.
Examples
-
In several cases from New York, state troopers pulled over drivers and searched their cars to find liquor.
Academic text (2018) -
I had the state troopers looking for you.
-
Well, you can call in state troopers.
-
Most state troopers are having coffee now.
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No, just sit tight I'll call in the state troopers.
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When we call the state troopers for help, it takes two or three days for them to arrive and to respond.
-
The table had been cleared; the state trooper was standing outside, next to his car.
Fiction book (1996) -
Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, Travis was arrested by a state trooper after he wrecked his car.
Blog text (28) -
Later, a state trooper wondered how Phillip made it through the dangerous road, wishing him and his passenger a safe ride home.
-
A young deputy, several state troopers, and a sheriff are all waiting as Crawford and Clarice enter.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
∞
1.2
A person who works for the police and enforces the law
560
1.1
A person who keeps people safe and stops crime
303
1.0
A man whose job is to keep people safe and enforce laws
112
4.1
A police officer who rides a horse to watch streets and crowds
28
4.2
A police officer who walks around an area to keep people safe
How Central
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'state' (a regional political entity) + 'trooper' (a type of officer) yields an officer who works for the state. This is a standard noun–noun compound (common cross-linguistically) and not idiomatic, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents and the US context will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
State trooper comes from a time when police were like 'soldiers'. Trooper once meant a soldier who rode horses, and these men worked for the state to watch the roads and keep people safe. That's why State trooper now means 'a police officer who works for a state government'.