league
1 Americannoun
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a covenant or compact made between persons, parties, states, etc., for the promotion or maintenance of common interests or for mutual assistance or service.
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the aggregation of persons, parties, states, etc., associated in such a covenant or compact; confederacy.
- Synonyms:
- coalition, combination
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an association of individuals having a common goal.
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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.
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Sports.
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a major league.
He played in both leagues, with four different teams, but he’ll always be remembered most as a Cincinnati Red.
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a minor league.
During her tenure as general manager of the league in Florida, eight of her players were promoted to the majors.
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As a pianist he just simply isn't in your league.
verb (used with or without object)
idioms
noun
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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).
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a square league, as a unit of land measure, estimated roughly at 4,428 acres (1,791.9 hectares).
noun
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an association or union of persons, nations, etc, formed to promote the interests of its members
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an association of sporting clubs that organizes matches between member teams of a similar standard
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a class, category, or level
he is not in the same league
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working or planning together (with)
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(modifier) of, involving, or belonging to a league
a league game
a league table
verb
noun
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!
Vocabulary lists containing league
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Baseball: A Lexicon
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Working Together: The Language of Unions
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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:
Given the lack of options in that position, and also Tierney's importance to the league champions, that is hardly a surprise.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
“I’m honored to lead Major League Soccer into its next era,” Berg, a lifelong soccer fan and player, said in a statement released by the league.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
One lower league club has previously searched for targets' agents on Instagram.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Two years after Garber became commissioner, he helped save the league from bankruptcy and he’ll leave with the combined value of the league’s 30 teams estimated at $23 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Though only half the height of the tallest eastern pines, the chestnut had a weight and mass and symmetry that put it in another league.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Once we’re leagued up, we’ll post the results, and there’ll be a weekly column here summing up the score, the scenario, and the stats.
From The Verge ● Feb. 28, 2019
Other Post stockholders leagued to announce that Newhouse's 15% invasion was as far as he would be allowed to go.
From Time Magazine Archive
He may be leagued with his appointees to abstract and share a larger percentage of the assets than the law allows, thus cheating legitimate creditors.
From Time Magazine Archive
The interests leagued against Wiley, finally manufactured charges that he had misused the funds of his Bureau; and, though exonerated by President Taft after a careful investigation had been made, he resigned in protest.
From Time Magazine Archive
Big-hoofed gray horses spackled like wolves, that rolled their eyes and whinnied at my footfall, leagued with men as if strapped to their business by harness I could not see.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Next, a charge was brought that he had been leaguing with a half-crazy woman called the Nun of Kent, who had said violent things about the King.
From A Book of Golden Deeds by Yonge, Charlotte Mary
There is a common class feeling between the lawyers leaguing them against the judge.
From The Man in Court by Wells, Frederic DeWitt
In the first place, he was on bad terms with Mrs. Oldershaw, which would protect me from all danger of the two leaguing together against me if I trusted him.
From Armadale by Collins, Wilkie
Bordeaux had been the centre of a conspiracy for leaguing together the malcontents of la Vendée with those of the South, these again being in touch with the royalists of the Lyonnais and Franche Comté.
From William Pitt and the Great War by Rose, John Holland
It is possible that the religion which she secretly professes has estranged her heart from me, but she would never be capable of betraying me, or of leaguing herself with my foes.
From Henry VIII and His Court by Pierce, Henry Niles
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.
