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.
Don Wakamatsu, who runs baseball operations for Freedman’s teams, was the first Asian-American manager in major league history and managed Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki with the Seattle Mariners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Of the four starting pitchers they would plan to use in the postseason — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani — Yamamoto is the only one pitching major league innings right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Their current backup, Eliezer Alfonso, made his major league debut in his ninth professional season; he is hitless in nine at-bats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
McGonigle was 6 when Trout made his major league debut.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
“He was...he was the first major league baseball player to come out as gay.”
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
During Rivera’s heyday, in the 2000s, just about every major-league team had a set closer whose sole job was to pitch the ninth inning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Obviously he has gone through a lot so it was good to get that first major-league hit here. Behind the plate, he’s been great.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
While football - or soccer - is Canada's most-played sport, its commercial success is overshadowed by the nation's love affair with ice hockey and the popularity of major-league baseball and basketball franchises.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Rojas, who played against the elder Eliezer Alfonzo for years in Venezuela, reached out Saturday morning and promised him he’d save the ball from his son’s first major-league hit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby, two black players from the all-black Negro Leagues, had finally been accepted into major-league baseball.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
