major league

noun

1

: a league of highest classification in U.S. professional baseball

broadly : a league of major importance in any of various sports

2

: big time sense 2

major-league

ˈmā-jər-ˈlēg 

adjective

major leaguer noun

Synonyms of major league

• big(s)
• big time

Examples of major league in a Sentence

when you've landed a tenure-track position at that university, you're playing in the major leagues

Recent Examples on the Web

Including two games last season, Sanchez became the first player in major league history to hit 19 homers in his first 45 games. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Trevor Richards pitched two innings for the 205th White Sox relief outing of 1 1/3 innings or more, a major league record. — CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Early conversations around the potential presenting sponsorship have been in the eight figures, the sources said, which would put it behind those two but ahead of other major league-wide deals. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Ethan Salas hit his first two home runs and became the youngest catcher in major league history with a multi-homer game as the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 on Wednesday night. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for major league

• chincoteague
• blitzkrieg
• fatigue
• intrigue
• muskeg

Kids Definition

major league

noun

: a league in the highest class of U.S. professional sports