foreign legion
Americannoun
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a military unit consisting of foreign volunteers in the service of a state.
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(initial capital letters) a specialized military unit of the French army, consisting of volunteers of all nationalities assigned to military operations and duties outside France.
noun
Etymology
Origin of foreign legion
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
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.
Also among the newly freed prisoners were two Americans who were members of Ukraine’s foreign legion, a group of foreign fighters who have taken part in some of the bloodiest battles in the war.
From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2022
Ukraine has called on foreigners to join their resistance to Russia’s invasion, and some have answered that call, though not all have been accepted in Ukraine’s foreign legion.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 11, 2022
But for the Ukrainian government, battling the Russians on multiple fronts, the development of this foreign legion is still a work in progress.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2022
It took about five days for the Ukrainian foreign legion and Capone’s organization to approve his self-organized team of volunteer soldiers, Szolosky told The Verge.
From The Verge ● Mar. 9, 2022
"As for going to Algiers with the foreign legion, there's no use in that at all," said one.
From Black Forest Village Stories by Berthold Auerbach
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.
