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Synonyms

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.

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
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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

Additionally, Greg likes nuts and cocoa, can toss a penny into a jar from across a room, and played minor league hockey, which will put him back on skates here.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

In his minor league career, Klein struck out 13 batters every nine innings, which is tremendous.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

The Kings politely declined interviews on anything related to a salary cap, since they own the minor league ballpark in Sacramento that temporarily houses the Athletics.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

He found a job working twenty to thirty hours per week, earning $8.50 an hour, for the Salt Lake Bees, a minor league baseball team.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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.