battalion

noun

bat·​tal·​ion bə-ˈtal-yən How to pronounce battalion (audio)
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

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 But the Arms Control Association (ACA) NGO said this year the PLA now rotates missile battalions from stand-by to ready-to-launch status monthly. Eric Cheung, CNN, 22 Sep. 2023 Ukrainian soldiers have also lost internet connection on the front lines in other regions, forcing battalions to retreat or commanders to drive into battle just to be in radio range. Tori Otten, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023 The Fire Department responded with three pumper trucks, a ladder truck, a rescue truck, a medic and a battalion chief, a standard reply in that situation, Hyde said. Nwa Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2023 Twenty-six years old in charge of 855 women, a battalion commander. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023 These can be used by the Navy’s two active-duty amphibious marine battalions. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 Sep. 2023 Now, the fan of Metallica and Nirvana engraves high-caliber machine gun shells with his battalion number, for charity, and collects battle artifacts from the front. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2023 Zhao worked at the Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, which is home to several aircraft squadrons and the service’s naval construction battalions in the Pacific. BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2023 Another person charged with involvement in the coup is a former commander of a parachute battalion in the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'battalion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of battalion was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near battalion

Cite this Entry

“Battalion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battalion. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

battalion

noun
bat·​tal·​ion bə-ˈtal-yən How to pronounce battalion (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on battalion

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