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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

See Examples For:

minor league minor-league

Here’s a new one: If minor league baseball is all about affordability, how do you compete against a nearby major league team that might undercut you on pricing?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Wakamatsu described Freedman’s model of minor league teams as “somewhere between conventional baseball and the Savannah Bananas” and believes the Asian style could take hold in Irvine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

With Smith injured, the Dodgers first tried and then cut minor league journeyman Chuckie Robinson at backup catcher.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

Would the Dodgers improve their minor league system?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 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

Under former general manager Perry Minasian, college players would be stoked to be drafted by the Angels, who did not hesitate to promote top prospects to the major leagues after the briefest of minor-league stints.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

On game nights, the minor-league Akron RubberDucks baseball team draws visitors downtown.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

“He’d strike out 13,” said Jonathan Van Eaton, one of Soriano’s early minor-league pitching coaches, “and then turn around and maybe not make it out of the second.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

You could fit them in a minor-league ballpark with room for the hot dog vendors.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026

It was only a good stakes race at a minor-league track, but it might as well have been the hundred-grander.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand