legend

noun

leg·end | \ ˈle-jənd

Definition of legend

1a : a story coming down from the past especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable the legend of a lost continent Arthurian legends

b : a body of such stories a place in the legend of the frontier

c : a popular myth of recent origin the legend of the Loch Ness monster

d : a person or thing that inspires legends a baseball legend

e : the subject of a legend its violence was legend even in its own time— William Broyles Jr.

2a : an inscription or title on an object (such as a coin) The quarter bore the legend "In God We Trust".

b : caption sense 2b The legend identifies the various parts of the illustrated anatomy.

c : an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart

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Examples of legend in a Sentence

I don't believe the legends I've heard about this forest. the legend of a lost continent He has become a baseball legend. The gravestone bears the legend “Rest in Peace.”

Recent Examples on the Web

The actress is a living legend, and a true force in fashion. — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "Tracee Ellis Ross Got a Bob and Now I'm Making My Appointment," 27 Mar. 2019 Wintertime was especially perfect for gathering around the fire to hear animated accounts of myth, legend, and history. — Ruth Hopkins, Teen Vogue, "How Alcatraz Island Was Reclaimed by Native Peoples," 7 Mar. 2019 That's as far as the legend and the history books tend to go. — Randy Dotinga, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ruby Lal, author of 'Empress,' discusses the amazing life and reign of Nur Jahan," 27 June 2018 So, too has shamrocks, the national plant of Ireland, which legend says St. Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity. — Jill Gleeson, Country Living, "Here's the Real History of St Patrick's Day," 15 Mar. 2019 The tennis legend says allowing transgender women in women’s sports is cheating. — WSJ, "Title IX Was Right to Say ‘Sex,’ not ‘Gender’," 26 Feb. 2019 Dozens of models hit the catwalk with their eyebrows bleached into invisibility, including supermodel Gigi Hadid, Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia Gerber, and eyebrow legend Cara Delevingne. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne, and Kaia Gerber Just Walked The Prada Runway Without Eyebrows," 22 Feb. 2019 The Gargoyle King's identity has finally been revealed and it's...football legend Terry Bradshaw? — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Fans Are Dying Over This Accidental "Riverdale" and "The Masked Singer" Crossover," 17 Jan. 2019 When Bruno Mars, who is Puerto Rican, Filipino, and Jewish, was accused in March of appropriating funk and soul music from African Americans, R&B; legends such as Charlie Wilson came to his defense. — Nadra Nittle, Vox, "The cultural appropriation debate has changed. But is it for the better?," 18 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.