league
1 Americannoun
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a covenant or compact made between persons, parties, states, etc., for the promotion or maintenance of common interests or for mutual assistance or service.
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the aggregation of persons, parties, states, etc., associated in such a covenant or compact; confederacy.
- Synonyms:
- coalition, combination
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an association of individuals having a common goal.
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Sports. a group of athletic teams organized to promote mutual interests and to compete chiefly among themselves: a tri-county community softball league.
a bowling league for ages 12–18;
a tri-county community softball league.
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Sports.
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a major league.
He played in both leagues, with four different teams, but he’ll always be remembered most as a Cincinnati Red.
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a minor league.
During her tenure as general manager of the league in Florida, eight of her players were promoted to the majors.
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As a pianist he just simply isn't in your league.
verb (used with or without object)
idioms
noun
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a unit of distance, varying at different periods and in different countries: in English-speaking countries usually estimated roughly at 3 miles (4.8 kilometers).
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a square league, as a unit of land measure, estimated roughly at 4,428 acres (1,791.9 hectares).
noun
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an association or union of persons, nations, etc, formed to promote the interests of its members
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an association of sporting clubs that organizes matches between member teams of a similar standard
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a class, category, or level
he is not in the same league
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working or planning together (with)
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(modifier) of, involving, or belonging to a league
a league game
a league table
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See alliance.
Etymology
Origin of league1
First recorded in 1425–75; from French ligue, from Italian liga, lega, from legare, from Latin ligāre “to tie, bind”
Origin of league2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lege, leghe, leuge, from Old French legue, from Late Latin leuga, leuca, a Gaulish unit of distance equal to 1.5 Roman miles, apparently from Gaulish; (compare Breton leó, leu, lev “league”)
Explanation
The two meanings of league are quite different — either it’s a group or federation joined for a common purpose (say, your bowling league or the League of Nations) or it’s a rough measurement of about three miles, usually at sea. One would hope that two such different meanings of the same word would have some deep connection far back in word history, but it does not seem to be the case here. The word meaning "an agreement of groups" appears to be related to the French word ligue, also found in ligature ("thing that ties"), while the league of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (an excellent adventure book if you’re in the mood) is from Middle English. We call words like these homographs — since spelling is all they seem to share!
Vocabulary lists containing league
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Baseball: A Lexicon
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Working Together: The Language of Unions
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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.
See Examples For:
Serena Ventures has met with potential investment targets from travel startups to a curling league.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Cech conceded only 15 goals in his debut league campaign, going on a run of 1,025 minutes without being beaten and ending the season with a record 24 clean sheets.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The forward would win four titles in five years at Old Trafford, including two league and cup doubles, laying the foundations for a generation of success before his shock retirement in 1997.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The NBA said both the "organisation and personnel" of the Clippers will be subject to a compliance and monitoring programme overseen by the league for five years.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Hours before the accident, Jessica set a league record in the four-hundred-meter race,” Marla’s voice says over the footage.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Once we’re leagued up, we’ll post the results, and there’ll be a weekly column here summing up the score, the scenario, and the stats.
From The Verge ● Feb. 28, 2019
The interests leagued against Wiley, finally manufactured charges that he had misused the funds of his Bureau; and, though exonerated by President Taft after a careful investigation had been made, he resigned in protest.
From Time Magazine Archive
Other Post stockholders leagued to announce that Newhouse's 15% invasion was as far as he would be allowed to go.
From Time Magazine Archive
He may be leagued with his appointees to abstract and share a larger percentage of the assets than the law allows, thus cheating legitimate creditors.
From Time Magazine Archive
Big-hoofed gray horses spackled like wolves, that rolled their eyes and whinnied at my footfall, leagued with men as if strapped to their business by harness I could not see.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
The formation of the Society of Mezzotint 703 Engravers in 1898 is an example of the leaguing together of particular workers to call attention to their interests.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6 "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of" by Various
The old self-depreciation waking up to life, the old enemy leaguing with languor and despondency to mar the sweet hopefulness of convalescence.
From Heriot's Choice A Tale by Rosa Nouchette Carey
Meanwhile Modred had stirred up a revolt, and leaguing himself with the Saxon invaders, had usurped Arthur's throne.
From Selections from Wordsworth and Tennyson by William Wordsworth
And I should hardly be surprised to see some of these, chagrined by an adverse decision, leaguing with foreign despots to restore the sway of the stronger by way of avenging their fancied wrongs!
From Glances at Europe In a Series of Letters from Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, &c. During the Summer of 1851. by Horace Greeley
Ho, ye, Of God the least beloved, of Man the most, That like not leaguing with the lesser host, Behold the invested Mount, And that assaulting Sea with ne’er a coast.
From The Unknown Eros by Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore
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.
