the big leagues
plural noun
US
: the two highest U.S. baseball leagues (the American League and the National League)
He always dreamed of playing in the big leagues.
—often used figurativelyShe's moving up to the big leagues in the television industry.
She's in the big leagues now, working for a major law firm in a large city.
Examples of the big leagues in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His base on balls followed one by Jac Caglianone (118 days in the big leagues) and the single by Zach Dezenzo (one year, 55 days in the big leagues) that preceded it.
—
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
While Jackson only required 155 minor league games to reach the big leagues, Matt navigated a red clay path through the farm system.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Munetaka Murakami and new Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, each of whom came from Japan to the big leagues this winter.
—Chad Jennings, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
That is the long-term hope the Yankees have for the farmhand, though temporary relief work could get Lagrange in the big leagues sooner and hasn’t been ruled out by the club.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the big leagues
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
While Jackson only required 155 minor league games to reach the big leagues, Matt navigated a red clay path through the farm system.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Munetaka Murakami and new Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, each of whom came from Japan to the big leagues this winter.
—Chad Jennings, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
That is the long-term hope the Yankees have for the farmhand, though temporary relief work could get Lagrange in the big leagues sooner and hasn’t been ruled out by the club.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the big leagues
Cite this Entry
“The big leagues.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20big%20leagues. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
