pals battalion

noun

A group of men who were friends before being enlisted, all of whom were placed into a single battalion in order to incentivize enlistment in the British Army during World War I.

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Meanings

nounpals battalion (plural pals battalions)

plural pals battalions · alternative Pals Battalion · alternative Pals battalion

  1. UKhistoricalgovernmentA group of men who were friends before being enlisted, all of whom were placed into a single battalion in order to incentivize enlistment in the British Army during World War I.

Origin

From pals + battalion, from the sense that one's pals would fight along with them.

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Cite this entry
APA

pals battalion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pals%20battalion

MLA

“pals battalion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pals%20battalion. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pals battalion,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pals%20battalion.

Source: pals battalion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.