legion

1 of 2

noun

le·​gion ˈlē-jən 

1

: the principal unit of the Roman army comprising 3000 to 6000 foot soldiers with cavalry

Caesar and his legions defeated the Gauls.

2

: a large military force

especially : army sense 1a

the French Foreign Legion

3

: a very large number : multitude

… won him … a legion of devoted followers.

—Irving Kolodin

4

: a national association of ex-servicemen

the American Legion

legion

2 of 2

adjective

: many, numerous

the problems are legion

Synonyms of legion

Noun

• army

Adjective

• many
• numerous
• multiple

Examples of legion in a Sentence

Noun

Legions of people came to see him perform.

joined the French Foreign Legion

Adjective

the obstacles that the programmers had to overcome have been legion

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Our neighbors were Blacks and Puerto Ricans, working-class Irish and Italians, and some Jews who hadn’t yet moved on, plus the legions of us new immigrants, from Asia and Eastern Europe and the Caribbean, who’d ended up in this commuter town north of New York City. —Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026

Other airlines scrambled to help the legion of disappointed customers, including United and Frontier. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2026

Welcome to the world of Gobby, who’s consistently put out some of the strangest music of the legions of beatmakers turned solo auteurs that emerged from the blog-rap era. —Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026

Fights over ballot designations and how candidates portray themselves and their records are legion in politics. —Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin legion-, legio, from legere to gather — more at legend

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1687, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for legion

• region
• collegian
• harijan
• norwegian
• subregion

Kids Definition

legion

noun

le·​gion

ˈlē-jən

1

: the chief unit of the Roman army consisting of 3000 to 6000 foot soldiers with cavalry

2

: army sense 1a

3

: a very large number : multitude