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.
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.
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; adjective use of major league ( def. )
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His favorite major league team, the San Francisco Giants, beat the Dodgers twice this week with great pitching.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
And, if the Dodgers can match up with Team USA, they can take on the best lineup the other 29 major league teams have to offer.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
He stole 557 bases and was successful in 83% of his attempts, one of the best rates in major league history.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
The Dodgers have won 12 Cy Young awards, the most of any major league team, with franchise icons including Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser and Clayton Kershaw bringing home the hardware.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
The cutoff date for almost all nonschool baseball leagues in the United States is July 31, with the result that more major league players are born in August than in any other month.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
