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legionnaire

American  
[lee-juh-nair] / ˌli dʒəˈnɛər /

noun

  1. (often initial capital letter) a member of the American Legion.

  2. a member of any legion; legionary.

legionnaire British  
/ ˌliːdʒəˈnɛə /

noun

  1. (often capital) a member of certain military forces or associations, such as the French Foreign Legion or the British Legion

"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

Etymology

Origin of legionnaire

From French, dating back to 1810–20; legionary

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.

It was a heady trophy for a 13-year-old, presented to me at graduation by a rumpled legionnaire in a garrison cap decorated with military pins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Horatiu Potra, a former French legionnaire and militia chief in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 20 other people were also charged.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025

“Lady Killer” stars the leonine Jean Gabin as Lucien, a womanizing legionnaire.

From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2023

Coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire, has pledged to install a unified, transitional government but has not said when or how that will happen.

From Reuters • Sep. 8, 2021

Every legionnaire carried a harpoonlike spear called a pilum, a g/adius, a dagger, and about a hundred pounds of other equipment.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

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.