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
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been one of the best hitters in baseball since his debut in the big leagues nearly a decade ago.
—
Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
This has already been a banner year for Bay State pitchers in the big leagues with Danvers’ Shane Smith earning an All-Star nod as a rookie Rule 5 pick with the Chicago White Sox, and now two other locals are making an early statement with their own respective teams.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Whether Hughes is actually ready for the big leagues next season remains to be seen.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Seigler was called up from the minors July 1 and is only the second Navajo to play in the big leagues.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 27 Aug. 2025
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.
Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
This has already been a banner year for Bay State pitchers in the big leagues with Danvers’ Shane Smith earning an All-Star nod as a rookie Rule 5 pick with the Chicago White Sox, and now two other locals are making an early statement with their own respective teams.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Whether Hughes is actually ready for the big leagues next season remains to be seen.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Seigler was called up from the minors July 1 and is only the second Navajo to play in the big leagues.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 27 Aug. 2025
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 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share