major league
noun
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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major league
1 American
[mey-jer leeg]
/ ˈmeɪ dʒər ˈlig /
noun
-
major leagues
plural
-
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.
major-league
2
American
[mey-jer-leeg]
/ ˈmeɪ dʒərˈlig /
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.
major league
British
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
From the players’ viewpoint, the successive sales of major league franchises at record values — the San Diego Padres at $3.9 billion, then the Angels at $4 billion — reflects good economic times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The Angels rank 26th among the 30 major league teams in runs scored, so Mozeliak might well focus on offensive upgrades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
The minimum major league salary this year is $780,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
I asked Walter why he believed it made business sense to pay three times as much as any major league team had sold for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
In the morning, a major league team picked me in the first round to play professional baseball, and in the evening, my baseball team had to play in the semifinal round of the championship.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
“But if there’s conviction behind your throw, you can still get major-league hitters out. And he proved that tonight.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
But in one weird way, Schlittler is different from all the other major-league pitchers who have lightning coursing through their veins: He actually uses it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Ryan, who made four major-league starts in 2024, has the stuff to compete in the majors, but health has kept him from another call-up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Irvin covered six innings and yielded six runs in the Dodgers’ pseudo-bullpen game Saturday, his first major-league appearance since 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
“The man is a major-league wackaloon,” said Marjory.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
