legion
Americannoun
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legions
plural
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a division of the Roman army, usually comprising 3000 to 6000 soldiers.
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a military or semimilitary unit.
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the Legion.
-
any large group of armed men.
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any great number of persons or things; multitude.
adjective
noun
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a military unit of the ancient Roman army made up of infantry with supporting cavalry, numbering some three to six thousand men
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any large military force
the French Foreign Legion
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(usually capital) an association of ex-servicemen
the British Legion
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(often plural) any very large number, esp of people
adjective
Usage
What is a legion? A legion is a large group of people or things, most commonly soldiers, as in World-famous author Stephen King has a legion of fans. Legion can also describe a very large number, as in The number of soccer fans around the world is legion. During the Roman Empire, legion referred to a division of the army that numbered between 3,000 to 6,000 soldiers. As a result, we use legion to refer to a large number of soldiers. However, legion is now used more generally to mean any big group of people or things. Example: The city was filled with legions of fans after the rock star announced they would perform a concert there.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of legion
1175–1225; Middle English legi ( o ) un (< Old French ) < Latin legiōn- (stem of legiō ) picked body of soldiers, equivalent to leg ( ere ) to gather, choose, read + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A legion is a horde or a large number of people or things. It was originally a term for a military unit. In Roman times, a legion was a large unit of men in the army, and the word is still used in many militaries. However, it also means a whole bunch of people doing anything. If someone has many fans, you can say legion of fans or legions of fans, but either way, that's a lot of fans. There are legions of stars in the sky. When you see legion, you can be sure there's an awful lot of something.
Vocabulary lists containing legion
Ancient Rome - Introductory
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Ancient Rome - Middle School and High School
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Inherit the Wind
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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:
Later he joined the international legion of Ukraine’s armed forces in 2022, after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
SpaceX doesn’t directly compete with China’s launch providers; the nation’s two major conglomerates and its legion of startups primarily sell to their own government.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026
“Like we are not standing by ourselves, we are a legion, basically.”
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
But for one celebrity in China, even a legion of devoted fans was not enough to stave off the wrath of the internet.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
“He’s eccentric, but he’s one of the oldest Lares. Been around since the legion was founded.”
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
To carry out the repatriation plan, he has welcomed Min Aung Hlaing -- previously shunned and credited with ordering the 2017 crackdown that sent legions of Rohingya fleeing to Malaysia in the first place.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Mr. Hansen, who became a celebrity in the mid-2000s for catching child predators in hidden-camera sting operations, has legions of fans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The plant's operator Mala Wangzi currently sells all of that domestically, but latiao have acquired new legions of foreign fans spurred by online enthusiasm for Chinese culture, or "Chinamaxxing".
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The trio’s freewheeling banter spiced with humorous mayhem and mischief enchanted legions of viewers while bringing freshness to the familiar formula of news, weather and sports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Biting winds blew in from the southwest, kicking up legions of whitecaps on Lake Washington.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
