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• bush league
  bush league

  noun

  minor league.
• bush-league
  bush-league

  adjective

  inferior or amateurish; mediocre.

bush league

¹ American  

noun

Baseball.

1. minor league.

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bush-league ² American  

[boosh-leeg] / ˈbʊʃˌlig /

adjective

1. inferior or amateurish; mediocre.

   a bush-league theatrical performance.

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Etymology

Origin of bush league¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Origin of bush-league²

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bush league bush-league

But in a bush league snub, he chooses to be Commissioner Rob, not Commissioner Bob.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2025

There was no criticism or negative viewpoint, however, from the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner for Clark despite her committing the bush league act on Reese.

From Salon ● May 28, 2025

However, the rotating “personalities” in the TV broadcast booth is bush league.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2022

While creative, his move drew the ire of plenty of current and former college and pro players who viewed the "gotcha" moment as bush league.

From Fox News ● Dec. 10, 2021

And who's this gumshoe guy from the bush league tailin' us?

From The Big-Town Round-Up by William MacLeod Raine

Next they want to tear down our beloved two-mile superspeedway and replace it with a bush-league half-mile track.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2021

What he’s giving them in return is a strange, bush-league, pull-it-out-of-your-ear, always-indulge-your-emotions campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2016

I don’t care how married to him you are, that’s a bush-league move.

From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2016

But we’ve seen enough brooding bush-league Walter Whites in cable antihero dramas that that’s a good thing.

From Time ● Jan. 29, 2015

Desperate, the jockey resorted to an old bush-league tactic.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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