legion

1 of 2

noun

le·​gion ˈlē-jən 

1

: the principal unit of the Roman army comprising 3000 to 6000 foot soldiers with cavalry

Caesar and his legions defeated the Gauls.

2

: a large military force

especially : army sense 1a

the French Foreign Legion

3

: a very large number : multitude

… won him … a legion of devoted followers.

—Irving Kolodin

4

: a national association of ex-servicemen

the American Legion

legion

2 of 2

adjective

: many, numerous

the problems are legion

Synonyms of legion

Noun

• army

Adjective

• many
• numerous
• multiple

Examples of legion in a Sentence

Noun

Legions of people came to see him perform.

joined the French Foreign Legion

Adjective

the obstacles that the programmers had to overcome have been legion

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The 31-year-old took to X to share the news with her legion of Hotties, expressing her gratitude and excitement for the opportunity. — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Much of the book’s fandom, and now the film’s fandom, comes from a dedicated legion of social media fans — The Love Hypothesis was a BookTok hit, without a doubt. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026

The ads for online gambling can seem as ubiquitous as the score, luring legions into a new scourge of addiction. — Tracy Weber, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2026

For many of the legions of K-Pop fans in mainland China, Hong Kong is the most accessible place to see a K-Pop concert. — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin legion-, legio, from legere to gather — more at legend

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1687, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for legion

• region
• collegian
• norwegian
• subregion

Kids Definition

legion

noun

le·​gion

ˈlē-jən

1

: the chief unit of the Roman army consisting of 3000 to 6000 foot soldiers with cavalry

2

: army sense 1a

3

: a very large number : multitude