as in big(s)
often big leagues plural
the highest level of a field of endeavor
Broadway is the big leagues, and for big bucks theatergoers expect professionalism
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of big league
Under rules governing the Rule 5 Draft, any player taken must be immediately placed on the 26-man big league roster and stay there for at least one entire season.
—
Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Weiss, who played shortstop for 14 big league seasons, fielded questions with humor and aplomb.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 10 Dec. 2025
Or just head straight for the caffeine big leagues.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Set as the marquee interview for the New York Times‘ annual DealBook Summit, the California governor is attracting a lot of big league attention of late all across the nation.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for big league
Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Weiss, who played shortstop for 14 big league seasons, fielded questions with humor and aplomb.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 10 Dec. 2025
Or just head straight for the caffeine big leagues.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Set as the marquee interview for the New York Times‘ annual DealBook Summit, the California governor is attracting a lot of big league attention of late all across the nation.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for big league
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big league
major league
Noun
-
Fitzgerald debuted last season at age 30 after a long journey through the minor leagues and played in 24 major league games for the Twins.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Kepler, who turns 33 next month, is an 11-year major league veteran who spent last season with the Philadelphia Phillies after playing his first 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Big league.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20league. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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