centurion
Americannoun
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(in the ancient Roman army) the commander of a century.
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Military. Centurion, any one of various British battle tanks in service from 1945 to 1967.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of centurion
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English, from Latin centuriōn- (stem of centuriō ), equivalent to centur(ia) century + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A centurion is a kind of soldier in the Roman army responsible for the command of a century, or one hundred, men. Centurion lives on in common language as the typical Roman soldier––countless generations of fifth graders have been asked to sketch their costumes. Their resilience in popular imagination may be ascribed to the role the centurion soldiers played in the Christian gospel story of the life of Jesus Christ.
Vocabulary lists containing centurion
Ancient Rome - Introductory
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The Son of Neptune
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Ancient Rome - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Not long after, he justified the roughly $130,000 investment the Rajasthan Royals made in a 13-year-old - becoming the youngest centurion in competitive senior cricket with a blistering 35-ball hundred against the Gujarat Titans.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
Tim Seifert whacked 52 from 26 balls but around him New Zealand lost regular wickets in pursuit of a lost cause, including Finn Allen, the Black Caps' semi-final centurion, for nine in the third over.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026
England centurion Danny Care says utility back Daly's experience could be vital in a high-pressure game.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka, a centurion against Australia, fell for nine exposing Sri Lank's shaky middle order and they folded in 16.4 overs.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
Octavian’s fellow centurion of the First Cohort, Mike Kahale, stood to one side with his arms crossed, glowering with obvious displeasure.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Think of the centurions who cast lots for Christ’s robes on the day of the Crucifixion in 33 A.D.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
“And so the law is the guardrails. So there has to be lawyers who are prepared to protect those guardrails and to stand as centurions, as I refer to us.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2026
This year alone there have been 10 hundreds, including three first-time centurions, one first-time double centurion, and Mulder's record-breaking knock.
From BBC ● Dec. 30, 2025
He’s been prattling on about Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” and sharing Facebook nonsense about centurions ever since.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
Once they got out of camp, the Fifth Cohort formed two lines behind their centurions, Dakota and Gwen.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
