major league
1 Americannoun
-
Baseball. either of the two top-tier baseball leagues (the American League and theNational League ) that are organized under and regulated by MLB.
-
Sports. a league of corresponding stature in certain other sports, such as ice hockey, soccer, football, or basketball.
adjective
-
Sports. of or relating to the major leagues, especially in baseball.
-
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-league1
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.
The first is about baseball’s one-hit wonders, players who played just one game in the major leagues but have seen that appearance shape the rest of their lives.
From Los Angeles Times
Today, Main Street Sports has the local rights to 29 major league teams in the U.S., across the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball.
Next up: tying the major league record of 14 consecutive postseason appearances, and becoming the first National League team ever to win the World Series in three consecutive years.
From Los Angeles Times
It had been 42 years since the season of Fernandomania, 26 years since Valenzuela last threw a pitch in the major leagues.
From Los Angeles Times
In 2009, in the first start of his first full major league season, the Angels’ pitcher threw six shutout innings against Suzuki and the Oakland Athletics.
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.
