legion

noun le·gion \ ˈlē-jən \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

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

The affable actor has worked with an amazing range of significant actors, producers and directors, while also inspiring a legion of young actors who found their path to the theater in his broad wake.

— punch shaw, star-telegram, "At 60, this cultural district playhouse shows no signs of slowing down | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 10 May 2018
And before a vehicle can fly again, it’s taken apart, inspected, and refurbished by a legion of engineers over the course of many months.

— loren grush, The Verge, "SpaceX’s last Falcon 9 upgrade could finally make reusable rockets cost-effective," 9 May 2018
That drew legions of foreign journalists and camera crews.

— The Economist, "The lapsing of Finland’s universal basic income trial," 26 Apr. 2018
Maybe, for the legions of Paris Hilton fans, wearing one of her new scents does the same, affirming a relationship of long standing.

— maya singer, Vogue, "What Your Favorite Celebrity Signature Scent Says About You," 16 Apr. 2018
Taylor Swift‘s heartfelt love songs perfectly capture the ups and downs of relationships for legions of Swifties — including her younger brother Austin.

— melody chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Taylor Swift's Brother Austin Reveals His Favorite Reputation Song — Find Out His 'Meaningful' Pick," 13 Apr. 2018
Since her torrid run in 2017, SZA has gained a legion of supporters, especially after her captivating release, CTRL.

— carl lamarre, Billboard, "SZA & Missy Elliott Tease Possible Collaboration on Twitter," 2 Apr. 2018
Which means that having the Randy DeBarge of the Ball bunch show up not to hear his name called will be not only embarrassing for him but heartwarming for the legions of haters who openly dislike the Ball family.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "LiAngelo Ball Declares for the NBA Draft, and We All Know This Is Going to End Badly," 27 Mar. 2018
Pentathlon training drew Moreau and a legion of other top-flight fencing instructors to South Texas, where many have remained.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Incarnate Word lunges forward in fencing," 22 Mar. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

legion Synonyms

Synonyms

army, crowd, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host, mass, mob, multitude, press, rout, swarm, throng;

gaggle;

heap, mountain, pile;

jam, logjam;

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

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

legion Synonyms

Phrases

all kinds of, quite a few;

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

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legion

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legion

Definition of legion

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Origin and Etymology of legion

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Definition of legion for English Language Learners

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