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

• army
• array
• host
• legion

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 by high school Batista found acceptance, and a further welcome in the Junior R.O.T.C. program, becoming the battalion’s second-in-command. —Jeff Truesdell, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025

Armen Sarkisyan, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and creator of a battalion for the leader's military, is reported to have been killed in a grenade blast at an elite residential building in Moscow on Monday. —David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth grounded the Army battalion involved in the crash for 48 hours following the incident. —Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 31 Jan. 2025

Though the initiative would occur outside of the NATO format, one Western official pointed to NATO’s multinational battalions in the Baltic countries — which, unlike Ukraine, are members of the alliance — as a possible model. —Samya Kullab and Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 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