legend

noun leg·end \ ˈle-jənd \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: legend in a Sentence

Definition of legend

1 a : a story coming down from the past; especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable

the legend of a lost continent

Arthurian legends

b : a body of such stories

a place in the legend of the frontier

c : a popular myth of recent origin

the legend of the Loch Ness monster

d : a person or thing that inspires legends

a baseball legend

e : the subject of a legend

its violence was legend even in its own time
—William Broyles Jr.

2 a : an inscription or title on an object (such as a coin)

The quarter bore the legend "In God We Trust".

b : caption 2b

The legend identifies the various parts of the illustrated anatomy.

c : an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart

See legend defined for English-language learners

See legend defined for kids

Examples of legend in a Sentence

I don't believe the legends I've heard about this forest.
the legend of a lost continent
He has become a baseball legend.
The gravestone bears the legend “Rest in Peace.”

Recent Examples of legend from the Web

The last player to qualify for the batting title and bat .400 was Red Sox legend Ted Williams.

— christopher l. gasper, BostonGlobe.com, "The Lions in the Super Bowl, a .400 hitter in a season, and other sports dreams I’d like to see become reality," 14 July 2018
Cecil Beaton was an eclectic and troublesome Hollywood legend.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "Double Feature At Atheneum: 'Love Cecil' And 'Gigi'," 14 July 2018
John Legend is one single trophy away from achieving Hollywood-legend status.

— jodi guglielmi, PEOPLE.com, "Emmy Nominations: John Legend Could Earn an EGOT with Jesus Christ Superstar Nod," 12 July 2018
Also at the museum, the second Saturday of each month brings Movies at the Museum, featuring the works of local legend Lee Doll.

— janet kusterer, Howard County Times, "Lunch at La Palapa and other signs of a comeback [Mostly Main Street]," 12 July 2018
Those sentiments were also expressed by screenwriting guru Robert McKee, who sees Mildred’s arc as a new twist on Medea, known in legend as the woman who killed out of fury and spite — an action Mildred contemplates at the end of the movie.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Think these movies are too gory? The Greek myths they're based on are worse," 12 July 2018
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle mingled with some important Irish figures during their official visit to Dublin, including President Michael Higgins, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar, and even rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince Harry Meets Outlander's Caitriona Balfe in Ireland," 11 July 2018
The pair were celebrating the actress’ birthday with a lavish party thrown by their mother, fellow screen legend Debbie Fisher, who had suffered a stroke a year before.

— stephanie nolasco, Fox News, "Carrie Fisher's brother Todd details their tense last conversation," 10 July 2018
Other than a bronze statue of Owensboro legend Darrell Waltrip, Rhodes was the only driver around, and a few public relations and media people provided the only other signs of life in the expansive infield.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "Victory at Kentucky Speedway would be 'biggest win ever' for Ben Rhodes," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of legend

Middle English legende, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda, from Latin, feminine of legendus, gerundive of legere to gather, select, read; akin to Greek legein to gather, say, logos speech, word, reason

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

legend Synonyms

Synonyms

folklore, legendry, lore, myth, mythology, mythos, tradition;

Related Words

folklife;

information, knowledge, wisdom;

anecdote, fable, folktale, old wives' tale, tale, yarn;

Other Monetary Terms

clad, numismatic, obverse, reverse, scrip, series, specie

LEGEND Defined for English Language Learners

legend

noun

Definition of legend for English Language Learners

: a story from the past that is believed by many people but cannot be proved to be true
: a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well
: a list that explains the symbols on a map