foreign legion

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noun

a military unit consisting of foreign volunteers in the service of a state.

(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.

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Origin of foreign legion

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Words nearby foreign legion

foreign correspondent, foreigner, foreign exchange, foreign-flag, foreignism, foreign legion, foreign minister, foreign mission, foreign office, foreign policy, foreign relations

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use foreign legion in a sentence

Cambodia, with its seemingly free press, is also a haven for foreign journalists.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What they believe impacts economic policy, foreign policy, education policy, environmental policy, you name it.
The Evangelical Apocalypse Is All Your Fault|Jay Michaelson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Huckabee is also not burdened by, or beholden to, foreign investors.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What if there were a legal dispute between the foreign investor and his or her Egyptian partners or collaborators?
Amal Clooney vs. Egypt’s Courts|Christopher Dickey|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST

But I had won the British Award, Best Foreign Actor, so I went.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is a lofty and richly-decorated pile of the fourteenth century; and tells of the labours and the wealth of a foreign land.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The lack of bill buyers in foreign countries who will quote as low rates on dollar as on sterling bills.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
I found that I still felt the lure of foreign countries, and the less explored or inhabited, the better.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
There are very few foreign journals taken or read in the Roman States.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Migration to distant occupations or to foreign lands was but for the adventurous few.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for foreign legion

foreign legion

noun

a body of foreign volunteers serving in an army, esp that of France

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012