big leaguer

American

[big lee-ger] / ˈbɪg ˈli gər /

Or big-leaguer

noun

Sports. a player in a major league, especially in baseball.
Informal. a person who belongs to or works for a large or powerful organization.

Etymology

Origin of big leaguer

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; big league + -er ¹

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.

Freeman said last week he hopes to play four more years, through his 20th season as a big leaguer.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

About once a month Judge will receive a comment from a waiter or a cashier who looks at his credit card and notes that he has the same name as the big leaguer.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2024

Just part of being the new guy back in the day, a rite of passage for the latest big leaguer getting promoted.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2024

“The biggest thing that was helpful was them tackling the mental piece of what it takes to be a big leaguer, a great big leaguer,” Johnson said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024

"I'm not a big leaguer yet," protested Joe.

From Baseball Joe in the Big League or, A Young Pitcher's Hardest Struggles by Chadwick, Lester

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023