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• minor league
  minor league

  noun

  any association of professional teams other than the major leagues, as in baseball, especially when the member teams are associated with or controlled by major-league teams, which use them as training and proving teams for promising players.
• minor-league
  minor-league

  adjective

  of or relating to the minor leagues, especially in baseball.

minor league

¹ American  

[mahy-ner leeg] / ˈmaɪ nər ˈlig /

noun

Sports.

1. any association of professional teams other than the major leagues, as in baseball, especially when the member teams are associated with or controlled by major-league teams, which use them as training and proving teams for promising players.

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minor-league ² American  

[mahy-ner-leeg] / ˈmaɪ nərˈlig /

adjective

1. Sports. of or relating to the minor leagues, especially in baseball.

2. Informal. of little import or consequence.

   a painter with minor-league talent.

   Synonyms:

   second-rate, lesser, insignificant

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minor league British  

noun

1. any professional league in baseball other than a major league Compare major league

2. (modifier) of relatively little importance

   that firm is very minor league

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Other Word Forms

• minor leaguer
  noun
• minor-leaguer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of minor league¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Origin of minor-league²

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; adjective use of minor league ( def. )

Example Sentences

Combine that with the worst minor league system and worst owner and that makes them the winner of the MLB Losers Triple Crown.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

Brian and Notre Dame head coach Justin Siegel are best friends and former minor league baseball players who turned to softball when they had daughters.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Former Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer offers to sign a minor league contract with a ‘$0 salary’ with any MLB team, saying that clubs would face no financial risk.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

It led to him getting taken off the Reds’ 40-man roster at the end of last season and sent to triple-A Louisville — a minor league assignment he rejected, making him a free agent.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

I understand the demanding schedule of minor league baseball, but I also realize that I might not get a second chance to sign if I go to college.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers