legion

1 of 2

noun

le·​gion ˈlē-jən How to pronounce legion (audio)
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 followersIrving Kolodin
4
: a national association of ex-servicemen
the American Legion

legion

2 of 2

adjective

: many, numerous
the problems are legion

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
Now, legions of fans continue to clamor for more adventures with their favorite characters, but, of course, the actors have moved on to other roles. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024 Over the years, legions of highly skilled engineers and producers labored to find just the right mic to capture the unique twang of a guitar, pioneered the use of slapback delay and spent untold hours patiently splicing 2-inch tape to make sure a drumbeat was perfectly timed. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024 City officials have long struggled to improve water safety at public beaches, with their strong riptides, legions of unskilled swimmers and perennial lifeguard staffing shortages. Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 What Purdy has accomplished in a season and a half as a starter is unprecedented but has created a legion of skeptics and doubters. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024 Without new government funding legislation, crucial services and legions of federal workers will be sidelined, or go unpaid, as soon as midnight late Friday. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Both artists command a brand of hypnotic control over legions of young listeners all while saying absolutely nothing. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2024 That’s the unofficial term for when a legion of workers call out sick on Monday following the weekend festivities. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024 The trio smiled in front of a legion of Storm Troopers from the new Rise of the Resistance ride at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Mackenzie Schmidt, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of legion was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near legion

Cite this Entry

“Legion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legion. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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
3
: a very large number : multitude

More from Merriam-Webster on legion

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!