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

Ryan was a battalion chief with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District in Reno, according to a statement shared by the agency. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025

Ryan Rizzuto served as a battalion chief with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, Truckee fire officials confirmed in an announcement posted to its Facebook page. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Dec. 2025

In 1942, while serving as a battalion commander on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines, Bianchi volunteered to help clear machine gun nests that belonged to Japanese armed forces and continued to lead the effort even after he was wounded, said DPAA. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025

Eventually, Patterson was joined by her husband, Lance Patterson, a former battalion chief at the Charlotte Fire Department. —Charlotte Observer, 5 Dec. 2025

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