League of Nations

American  

noun

1. an international organization to promote world peace and cooperation that was created by the Treaty of Versailles (1919): dissolved April 1946.

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League of Nations British  

noun

1. an international association of states founded in 1920 with the aim of preserving world peace: dissolved in 1946

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League of Nations Cultural  

1. An international organization established after World War I under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. The League, the forerunner of the United Nations, brought about much international cooperation on health, labor problems, refugee affairs, and the like. It was too weak, however, to prevent the great powers from going to war in 1939.

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Although President Woodrow Wilson of the United States was a principal founder of the League, the United States Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, and the United States never joined the League.

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How does league-of-nations compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• League of Nations vs. United Nations

Example Sentences

After World War I, Woodrow Wilson barnstormed the country to gin up support for a treaty that would have seen the U.S. join the League of Nations.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026

According to the League of Nations, the real value of world trade plummeted by more than 65% between 1929 and 1933.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

The most famous and serious presidential disability crisis came when Woodrow Wilson collapsed during a cross-country train trip promoting his League of Nations in 1919.

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2024

That center was to be the League of Nations in Wilson’s day and the United Nations in ours.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2023

I cared more that he had helped found the League of Nations, promoting freedom around the world, than the fact that he had repressed freedom at home.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela