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

The Marines, the only service with a command structure for its wounded warrior program, has two battalions, one at Camp Pendleton and the other at Camp Lejeune. —Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026

Burke helped lead Fire Country as Vince Leone, the tough-as-nails battalion chief running Station 42 and calling the shots as his team battled wildfires and pulled off daring rescues. —Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026

Farmington, a rural California town of 262 people in San Joaquin County, is facing a major fire department issue with their battalion chief recently resigning and the county launching an ad-hoc committee. —Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026

These bulletins, thousands of which can be found on Russian social-media and messaging platforms, usually include the soldier’s name, date of birth, call sign, battalion, and physical details that could help identify him, such as tattoos and scars. —Sophie Spiegelberger, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 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