Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Legion of Merit

American  

noun

Military.
  1. a decoration ranking below the Silver Star and above the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded to U.S. and foreign military personnel for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the U.S.


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:

The latter received a Congressional Medal of Honor and the former a Legion of Merit award for Extraordinary Heroism.

From BBC Feb. 25, 2026

For the record, Sherman has served our country for decades, earning along the way the prestigious Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal among other accolades.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 2, 2025

A captain, he earned the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star.

From Seattle Times Nov. 11, 2023

Spitzer, who retired in June, was recognized with the prestigious Legion of Merit award following his departure from the post.

From Washington Post Jul. 1, 2022

General McGee, who held many command posts through the years, received the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the French Legion of Honor and the Bronze Star, among other decorations.

From New York Times Jan. 16, 2022

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training