legion

noun le·gion \ ˈlē-jən \

Definition of legion

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 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

See legion defined for English-language learners

See legion defined for kids

Examples of legion in a Sentence

Legions of people came to see him perform.
joined the French Foreign Legion

Recent Examples of legion from the Web

Media that remain critical of the government have faced problems ranging from withdrawal of government advertising to spurious tax raids, lawsuits on the basis of antiquated rules and harassment on social media by legions of pro-government trolls.

— The Economist, "The elephant in its labyrinthIn the race with its tricky neighbour, India has recently been winning," 22 July 2017
Unfortunately, the mystical arts of the Faceless Men have already had a detrimental effect on legions of Game of Thrones theorists.

— vanityfair.com, "Game of Thrones Season 7 Premiere: The Massive Ramifications of Arya’s Show-Stopping Scene," 16 July 2017
Unfortunately, the mystical arts of the Faceless Men have already had a detrimental effect on the legions of Game of Thrones theorists.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones Season 7 Premiere: The Massive Ramifications of Arya’s Showstopping Scene," 16 July 2017
But that didn't stop a legion of coaches (and media) from sitting courtside to watch the 6-foot-5 Langford cheer on his team, Twenty Two Vision, from the bench.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Romeo Langford's back is still bothering him; coaches line up to watch anyway," 14 July 2017
Anthropologists discovered similar concretely bound reasoning among Uzbek peasants way back in the 1930s; legions of whites in America have grown up in similar environments (as J. D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy eloquently testifies).

— john mcwhorter, National Review, "Stop Obsessing Over Race and IQ," 5 July 2017
There are chefs who can fill seats based on reputation alone — lead actors whose legion admirers eagerly attend every opening.

— ingrid k. williams, New York Times, "A Newcomer to Stockholm Dining Is a Vegetarian Mecca," 30 June 2017
Even though its progressive ethos progressed itself out of existence, the prog oeuvre still has legions of fans and just as many enemies.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Prog Rock: The Musical Genre That Won’t Die," 29 June 2017
The two children roamed around the legion Thursday, talking and laughing with people.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "'Not going to forget them': American Legion raises money for Gary children recovering from shootings," 29 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of legion

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

legion Synonyms

Synonyms

array, battalion, host, army

Related Words

militia, national guard, standing army; infantry, ranks, regulars, soldiers, troopers, troops

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

legion

adjective

Definition of legion

:many, numerous

the problems are legion

See legion defined for English-language learners

Examples of legion in a Sentence

the obstacles that the programmers had to overcome have been legion

Origin and Etymology of legion

see ¹legion

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1687

See Words from the same year

legion Synonyms

Synonyms

beaucoup [slang], many, multifold, multiple, multiplex, multitudinous, numerous

Antonyms

few

Related Words

countless, innumerable, numberless, uncountable, unnumbered, untold; several, some; miscellaneous, mixed, sundry, various; divers, manifold, multifarious, myriad

Near Antonyms

countable, limited

LEGION Defined for English Language Learners

legion

noun

Definition of legion for English Language Learners

: a large group of soldiers in ancient Rome
: a large group of soldiers
: a national organization for former soldiers

legion

adjective

Definition of legion for English Language Learners

: very many or numerous

LEGION Defined for Kids

legion

noun le·gion \ ˈlē-jən \

Definition of legion for Students

1 :a group of from 3000 to 6000 soldiers that made up the chief army unit in ancient Rome

2 :army 1

3 :a very great number

She has a legion of admirers.

Learn More about legion

See words that rhyme with legion Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for legion Spanish Central: Translation of legion Nglish: Translation of legion for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of legion for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about legion

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up legion? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

legion

Definition of legion

Explore M-W

Examples of legion in a Sentence

Recent Examples of legion from the Web

Origin and Etymology of legion

legion Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Military Terms

legion

Definition of legion

Examples of legion in a Sentence

Origin and Etymology of legion

legion Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to LEGION

Related Phrases

LEGION Defined for English Language Learners

legion

Definition of legion for English Language Learners

legion

Definition of legion for English Language Learners

LEGION Defined for Kids

legion

Definition of legion for Students

Learn More about legion

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Exceptions Quiz III

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066