battalion

noun

bat·​tal·​ion bə-ˈtal-yən 

1

: a considerable body of troops organized to act together : army

2

: a military unit composed of a headquarters and two or more companies, batteries, or similar units

3

: a large group

Synonyms of battalion

• army

Examples of battalion in a Sentence

a battalion of angry protesters

the nation's battalions were forced to fight on two fronts simultaneously

Recent Examples on the Web

Vital to the Southers’ battle plan is the use of genetic infantrymen, a battalion of clones whose thoughts can be downloaded on to a chip and reused if the host body is destroyed. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 June 2026

The Fire Department said that the decisions by investigating agencies were partly based on the battalion chief’s assessment. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026

But times were changing, and Fergie was among the Colored men assigned to what would become a fourth battalion in the third contingency of the British West Indies Regiment. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026

These religious sites and sacred areas throughout Ukraine have not been used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces or Ukrainian volunteer battalions as staging grounds to fight against Russian forces. — Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French bataillon, from Old Italian battaglione, augmentative of battaglia company of soldiers, battle, from Late Latin battalia combat — more at battle entry 1

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for battalion

• italian
• medallion
• scallion
• stallion

Kids Definition

battalion

noun

bat·​tal·​ion bə-ˈtal-yən 

1

: a large body of troops : army

2

: a military unit composed of two or more smaller units (as companies or batteries)

3

: a large body of persons organized to act together