centurion
noun
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In ancient Rome, a century was approximately equal to a company in the U.S. Army, and a centurion was roughly equivalent to a captain. Centurions play a role in the New Testament; Jesus performs a miracle for a centurion in Capernaum, centurions are present at the crucifixion, and in later years St. Paul is arrested by centurions. According to a writer of the time, centurions were chosen for their size and strength, their abilities at swordplay and at throwing missiles, and the quality of their discipline, which was partly shown by how well their soldiers kept their own armor polished.
Examples of centurion in a Sentence
ABC News, 16 May 2026
To a fanfare of horns, a centurion on horseback leads the six vestal virgins, a bronze Capitoline wolf carried on a litter, goats, camels, a carnival-float bacchanal drawn by oxen, and a flock of waddling geese in flying-wedge formation greeted by the audience with a gasp of biophilia.
—Nat Segnit, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Ghoul Kings have already been revealed in the trailer, as have many of the giant mutated bugs like radscorpions and cazadors, Macaulay Culkin is in as a Caesar’s Legion centurion, and we're bound to witness epic clashes with Maximus' imposing Brotherhood of Steel.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 16 Dec. 2025
This might even account for the ways in which the Gospels portray Jesus as moving freely among the diverse economic and social strata of society, whether encountering Roman centurions or being invited to dine in wealthy homes of the time.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Centurion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centurion. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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