bush league

¹ American

noun

Baseball.

minor league.

bush-league ² American

[boosh-leeg] / ˈbʊʃˌlig /

adjective

inferior or amateurish; mediocre.

a bush-league theatrical performance.

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.

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

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

“It was like the bush league of independent leagues.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 31, 2020

That woman ought to get out of the bush league and pitch for the New Yorks!

From Mixed Faces by Norton, Roy

What happened in the California state Assembly truly was a bush-league error.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2023

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

And he had not forgotten a good turn Blume had done him back in his bush-league days.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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