league

¹ American  

[leeg] / lig /

noun

1. a covenant or compact made between persons, parties, states, etc., for the promotion or maintenance of common interests or for mutual assistance or service.

2. the aggregation of persons, parties, states, etc., associated in such a covenant or compact; confederacy.

   Synonyms:

   coalition, combination

3. an association of individuals having a common goal.

4. Sports. a group of athletic teams organized to promote mutual interests and to compete chiefly among themselves: a tri-county community softball league.

   a bowling league for ages 12–18;

   a tri-county community softball league.

5. Sports.

   1. a major league.

      He played in both leagues, with four different teams, but he’ll always be remembered most as a Cincinnati Red.

   2. a minor league.

      During her tenure as general manager of the league in Florida, eight of her players were promoted to the majors.

6. group; class; category.

   As a pianist he just simply isn't in your league.

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verb (used with or without object)

leagued, leaguing

1. to unite in a league; combine. People are judged, fairly or not, by the company that they keep, and the people they league themselves with.

   Some unlikely political bedfellows leagued together to get the bill passed.

   People are judged, fairly or not, by the company that they keep, and the people they league themselves with.

idioms

1. in league, working together, often secretly or for a harmful purpose; united.

   By putting yourself in league with corrupt and ruthless leaders, you will end up paying in the long run.

league ² American  

[leeg] / lig /

noun

1. a unit of distance, varying at different periods and in different countries: in English-speaking countries usually estimated roughly at 3 miles (4.8 kilometers).

2. a square league, as a unit of land measure, estimated roughly at 4,428 acres (1,791.9 hectares).

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league ¹ British  

/ liːɡ /

noun

1. an association or union of persons, nations, etc, formed to promote the interests of its members

2. an association of sporting clubs that organizes matches between member teams of a similar standard

3. a class, category, or level

   he is not in the same league

4. working or planning together (with)

5. (modifier) of, involving, or belonging to a league

   a league game

   a league table

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verb

1. to form or be formed into a league

league ² British  

/ liːɡ /

noun

1. an obsolete unit of distance of varying length. It is commonly equal to 3 miles

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league More Idioms  

1. see big league; in league with; in the same league.

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Synonym Usage

See alliance.

Etymology

Origin of league¹

First recorded in 1425–75; from French ligue, from Italian liga, lega, from legare, from Latin ligāre “to tie, bind”

Origin of league²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lege, leghe, leuge, from Old French legue, from Late Latin leuga, leuca, a Gaulish unit of distance equal to 1.5 Roman miles, apparently from Gaulish; (compare Breton leó, leu, lev “league”)

Explanation

The two meanings of league are quite different — either it’s a group or federation joined for a common purpose (say, your bowling league or the League of Nations) or it’s a rough measurement of about three miles, usually at sea. One would hope that two such different meanings of the same word would have some deep connection far back in word history, but it does not seem to be the case here. The word meaning "an agreement of groups" appears to be related to the French word ligue, also found in ligature ("thing that ties"), while the league of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (an excellent adventure book if you’re in the mood) is from Middle English. We call words like these homographs — since spelling is all they seem to share!

Example Sentences

Sinfield, the former Leeds Rhinos and England captain, is just the second rugby league figure to be knighted after Billy Boston.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

The league considered the interview informational, not an investigation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026

When an NFL team wins the Super Bowl, the league responds by making their schedule harder and handing them the worst pick in the draft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Now, Polymarket has secured an exclusive partnership with Liga MX, North America’s most popular soccer league.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Rugby league is a lot like American football, but with no helmets and no pads.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

Related Words

• club
• company
• conference
• group
• organization
• society
• union