legend
[noun]
Synonyms:
- myth, fable, fiction, folk tale, saga, story, tale
- celebrity, luminary, megastar (informal), phenomenon, prodigy
- inscription, caption, motto

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English Thesaurus: floor, storey, the ground floor, the first floor, deck, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

le‧gend /ˈledʒənd/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: légende, from Medieval Latin legenda, from Latin legere 'to gather, choose, read']

1. [uncountable and countable] an old well-known story, often about brave people, adventures, or magical events ⇒ myth:
a book of ancient Greek legends
legend of
the legend of St George and the dragon
according to legend
According to legend, he escaped by leaping from the cliffs into the sea.
Local legend has it that (=says that) the island was the original Garden of Eden.

2. [countable] someone who is famous and admired for being extremely good at doing something
tennis/footballing/music etc legend
We must put more money into the sport if we want to create the tennis legends of the future.
a marvellous player who was a legend in his own lifetime ⇒ living legend at living¹(6)

3. [countable] literary words that have been written somewhere, for example on a sign:
A sign above the door bore the legend ‘Patience is a Virtue’.

4. [countable] technical the words that explain a picture or map ⇒ key

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

legend
noun
I. well-known story
ADJ. ancient | Greek, Roman, etc. | local
VERB + LEGEND become, pass into The story of how she was rescued has already passed into legend.
tell (sb) He told us the legend of the ghostly horseman.
LEGEND + VERB live on The legend of his supernatural origins lives on.
PREP. according to ~ According to ancient legend, the river is a goddess.
in (a/the) ~ There have always been stories of human giants in Celtic legend and mythology.
~ about legends about the Vikings
~ of The story is part of the ancient legend of King Arthur.
PHRASES legend has it that … Legend has it that the Bridge of Sighs got its name from the cries of prisoners being led across it.
myths and legends the myths and legends of Mexico
the subject of legend The unusual shell has long been the subject of legend.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

legend
II. famous person/event
ADJ. living pop stars who become living legends
basketball, motoring, racing, sporting, etc.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

legend

an old/ancient legend
You will have heard the old legend about how the rocks were formed.
a local legend
According to a local legend, the tree was planted by a wizard.
a popular legend (=one that many people believe)
A popular legend grew up about him.
a Greek/Roman/Celtic etc legend
the figure of Hercules in Greek legend
Arthurian legend(s) (=the legends about King Arthur of Britain)
The castle of Camelot plays an important role in Arthurian legend.
become legend/pass into legend
The incident became legend.
a legend grew (up) (=developed over time)
The legend of his bravery grew after he killed the dragon.
(the) legend says
Legend says King Arthur’s sword was thrown into one of the pools here.
the legend tells how
The legend tells how the King of Troy offended Poseidon, the sea god.
the legend goes (=says)
Two people, so the legend goes, refused to flee.
a legend is attached to something (=connected with it)
The cave has an unusual legend attached to it.
legend has it that (=says that)
Legend has it that Rhodes was home to the sun god Helios.
be the subject of legend (also be the stuff of legend) (=have stories told about them)
The island has long been the subject of legend.
myths and legends
I read and reread the Greek myths and legends.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

floor one of the levels in a building:
She lives in an apartment on the eighteenth floor.
storey British English, story American English used when saying how many levels a building has:
a five-storey car park
The school is a single storey building.
the ground floor (also the first floor American English) the floor of a building that is at ground level:
There is a shop on the ground floor.
The emergency room is on the first floor.
the first floor British English, the second floor American English the floor of a building above the one at ground level:
She lives on the first floor.
deck one of the levels on a ship, bus, or plane:
The Horizon Lounge is on the top deck of the ship.
a true story
‘Schindler’s List’ tells the true story of Oskar Schindler.
a classic story (=old and admired by many people, or typical and good )
a classic story about a little girl who falls down a rabbit hole
a short story
He has published two collections of short stories.
a children’s story
Enid Blyton is famous for writing children’s stories.
a love story
‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a classic love story.
a fairy story (=a children's story in which magical things happen)
She looked like a princess in a fairy story.
an adventure story
an exciting adventure story for children
a detective story
Most detective stories are about a murder.
a ghost/horror story
They sat round the fire telling ghost stories.
She likes reading horror stories.
a bedtime story (=one that you read to a child before they go to sleep)
He remembered his mother reading him a bedtime story.
tell (somebody) a story
Would you like me to tell you a story?
read (somebody) a story
She read a lot of detective stories.
write a story
The story was written by Lewis Carroll.
a big story (=a report about something important)
He had promised the newspaper a big story on a major celebrity.
the lead/top story (=the most important story in a newspaper or news programme)
The floods were the lead story on the news that evening.
a front-page story
The Times published a front-page story about the scandal.
a cover story (=the main story in a magazine, mentioned on the cover)
Hello magazine did a cover story on her last year.
do a story (=write and then print or broadcast it)
I went to Iraq to do a story on the war.
print/publish a story
The News of the World decided not to print the story.
run a story (=print it or broadcast it)
There wasn't enough definite information to run the story.
cover a story (=report on it)
Her family complained about the way that journalists had covered the story.
break a story (=report on it for the first time)
The Daily Mail was the paper which broke the story.
leak a story (=secretly tell a reporter about it)
We may never know who leaked the story to the press.
a story breaks (=it is reported for the first time)
I still remember the shock when that story broke.
story a description of how something happened that is intended to entertain people, and may be true or imaginary:
a ghost story
a love story
It’s a story about a man who loses his memory.
a book of short stories
tale a story about strange imaginary events, or exciting events that happened in the past:
a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
I loved hearing tales of his travels.
myth noun [uncountable and countable] a very old imaginary story about gods and magical creatures:
an ancient myth
Greek and Roman myths
legend noun [uncountable and countable] an old story about brave people or magical events that are probably not true:
popular legends of the creation of the world
According to legend, King Arthur was buried there.
fable a traditional imaginary short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially a story about animals:
the fable of the tortoise and the hare
a Chinese fable
epic a story told in a long book, film, or poem which is about great or exciting events, especially in history:
an epic about 13th-century Scottish hero William Wallace
saga a story about a series of events that take place over a long period of time, especially events involving one family:
a family saga beginning in the 1880s
yarn informal a long exciting story that is not completely true:
The movie’s a rattling good yarn and full of action.
give (somebody) a story
I had the feeling that she wasn't giving me the full story.
hear a story (also listen to a story)
I’ve heard that story a hundred times.
make up/invent a story
She confessed to making up the story of being abducted.
stick to your story (=keep saying it is true)
He didn’t believe her at first, but she stuck to her story.
change your story
During police interviews, Harper changed his story several times.
believe a story
The jury did not believe Evans's story.
swap stories (=tell each other stories)
They swapped stories and shared their experiences.
the story goes (=this is what is people say happened)
The story goes that he was drowned off the south coast, but not everyone believed it.
a story goes around (=people tell it to each other)
A story went around that she had been having an affair.
the full/whole story
I did not know the full story.
a plausible/convincing story
She tried to think up a convincing story to tell her parents.
a remarkable story
The film tells the remarkable story of their escape from a prison camp.
an apocryphal story (=one that is well-known but probably not true)
There are many apocryphal stories about him.
the inside story (=including facts that are known only to people involved)
Though I’d seen the official report, I wanted the inside story.
sb’s side of the story (=someone’s account of what happened, which may be different from someone else’s)
I would like to give my side of the story.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

star a large ball of burning gas in space, which can be seen at night as a point of light in the sky:
The dark night sky was clear and full of stars.
planet one of the large objects that goes around the sun, for example the Earth, Saturn, Mercury, or Mars:
The planet Uranus was discovered in 1781.
sun the star that gives us light and heat, around which the planets move. There are also many millions of other suns in the universe:
The sun came out from behind a cloud.
a dying sun
moon the round object that moves around the Earth every 28 days, or a similar object that goes around another planet:
The moon rose in the night sky.
Titan is one of the moons of Saturn.
asteroid a mass of rock that moves around the sun. Most asteroids are found between Jupiter and Mars:
the asteroid belt
pulsar a type of star that is far away in space and produces radiation and RADIO WAVES
quasar an object like a star that is far away in space and shines extremely brightly
supernova a very large exploding star
constellation a group of stars that forms a particular pattern and has a name:
The constellation of Orion is one of the most easily recognizable patterns of stars in the night sky.
galaxy one of the large groups of stars that make up the universe:
Astronomers have detected a galaxy 11 billion light years away.
the universe all space, including all the stars and planets:
How many planets in the universe have life?
celebrity someone who often appears in newspapers, on television etc and is well-known to the public. Celebrities are often famous for being famous, not because they have any great talent:
The magazine is full of gossip about celebrities.
name a famous person whose name is known by many people – used especially in the following expressions:
All the big names in football were at the awards dinner.
Giorgio Armani is one of the most famous names in fashion.
He is yet to become a household name (=someone who everyone has heard of).
personality an entertainer or sports player who is famous and often appears in the newspapers, on television etc. – used especially in the following phrases:
Many advertisers use TV personalities to promote their products.
He was chosen as sports personality of the year.
superstar an extremely famous performer, especially a musician or film actor:
The film made Tom Cruise an international superstar.
legend someone who is famous and admired for being extremely good at doing something – used especially about people who are at the end of a long career or who have died:
blues legend John Lee Hooker
Jane Fonda is the daughter of film legend Henry Fonda.
great [usually plural] someone who was one of the best players or performers that there have ever been:
He was one of the all-time soccer greats.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲