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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Related Words

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”)

Example Sentences

Despite a season to forget in the league, there is genuine excitement about their best run in the competition for 72 years.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

You can class him as an old-school centre-half and the Brazilian is a force defensively, with Arsenal conceding just 22 goals in 31 league games this season.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The Thunder have a 60-16 record, tops in the league.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

After this year’s Super Bowl, the league boasted that 137.8 million people tuned in during the second quarter, “marking the highest peak viewership in U.S. TV history.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The consensus among fans is that Iverson is one of the top players in the league.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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