major league
1 Americannoun
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Baseball. either of the two top-tier baseball leagues (the American League and theNational League ) that are organized under and regulated by MLB.
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Sports. a league of corresponding stature in certain other sports, such as ice hockey, soccer, football, or basketball.
adjective
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Sports. of or relating to the major leagues, especially in baseball.
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Informal. belonging to or among the best or most important of its kind.
a major-league orchestra.
noun
Other Word Forms
- major leaguer noun
- major-leaguer noun
Etymology
Origin of major league1
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
Origin of major-league2
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; adjective use of major league ( def. )
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.
James Shields was a star pitcher in the major leagues for 13 seasons.
For more than a year, the owners of other major league teams have telegraphed their desire to restrain all that spending, preferably through a salary cap.
From Los Angeles Times
At a time major league owners would like you to believe market size equals destiny, the team with baseball’s longest postseason drought plays in the second-largest market in North America.
From Los Angeles Times
In each of America’s other major leagues, the teams from the top 10 markets are below .500 over that span.
The Dodgers could bar every other major league team from moving into L.A., but not the Angels.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
