bush league
noun
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bush league
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bush-league
bush-leagueadjectiveinferior or amateurish; mediocre.
bush league
1 Americannoun
Baseball.
bush-league
2
American
[boosh-leeg]
/ ˈbʊʃˌlig /
adjective
Etymology
Origin of bush league1
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10
Origin of bush-league2
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10
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.
But in a bush league snub, he chooses to be Commissioner Rob, not Commissioner Bob.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 17, 2025
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
“It was bush league, it was a total coward move on his part,” Rudolph said, adding: “I’m not going to take it from a bully.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2019
I searched for current players who had hit over .350 in their bush league years, no matter where or how long, to find out what a “low expectation” might be.
From Washington Post • May 20, 2018
The "rigged" lie detector test had unfortunately relegated Daniel Fry, "engineer," "missile expert," "part owner of an engineering plant," and interplanetary hitchhiker to the bush league.
From The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects by Ruppelt, Edward J.
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.
