big league
noun
a major league, as in baseball.
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big league
1 American
[big leeg]
/ ˈbɪg ˈlig /
noun
-
Sports. a major league, as in baseball.
His debut in the big leagues was as a relief pitcher for the Dodgers in the final game of the regular season.
-
Informal. the area of greatest competition, highest achievement or rewards, etc..
He's a local politician who isn't ready for the big league.
big-league
2
American
[big-leeg]
/ ˈbɪgˈlig /
adjective
-
Sports. of or belonging to a major league.
a big-league pitcher.
-
Informal. among the largest, foremost, etc., of its kind.
the big-league steel companies.
big league
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of big league1
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
Origin of big-league2
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; adjective use of big league
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:
O'Neill described the interest in both players as "disappointing" but "to be expected", adding that it is "difficult to stop people if their ambition is to play in a big, big league".
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
You lose $0 and there’s no risk to the big league club.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
Ranking in the bottom five among big league pitchers in run support last season, the Dodgers couldn’t drum up support for their ace of aces Wednesday either.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
William Blair analyst Neal Dingmann thinks the acquisition price represents a “compelling valuation for a big league company.”
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026
So Langston is our big league rival, and even though they have everything our team would love to have, we have the one thing a team can’t buy.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
As Freeman went through his big-league firsts, he appreciated having Heyward, who’d already checked them off for himself, by his side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Matt Wilkinson, a 250-pound left-hander with a throwback nickname, defied the odds to make his big-league debut on Wednesday for the San Francisco Giants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Oh, and if Cervantes ever gets to make that dream big-league appearance one day, he made it clear: He’d do everything he could to share the experience with Jerry.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Rootman hit a ball so far over the left-field fence for a three-run homer that it might have gone out of a big-league stadium.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
He's a big-league medicine man in the tribe, and his Spanish name is Mariano Pablo Montoya.
From The Heritage of the Sioux by B. M. Bower
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.
