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

Kelsey Whetro is a battalion chief for the KCFD, and one of the four coordinators in charge of Camp Fury. — Julianna Mejia july 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026

Justin Sylvia said the department has a battalion chief working with a group that includes Waymo as the city prepares for the rollout. — Steve Large, CBS News, 29 July 2026

The battalion was once again redeployed to the West Bank 30 days later after undergoing an education seminar and additional training. — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 13 July 2026

The Israeli army built another five battalions of soldiers who were never engaged in service or finished their service and wish to return to duty. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 6 July 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