as in bigs
the highest level of a field of endeavor
when you've landed a tenure-track position at that university, you're playing in the major leagues
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Recent Examples of major leagues
The probe has put the NFL’s deal making under a microscope and could be a signal that the other major leagues may face their own inquiries.
—
Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Fandom can extend beyond sports, but major leagues represent the largest generators of social connectivity.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 11 May 2026
This summer’s transfer window was a record-setting one, with Premier League teams spending more than £3billion — seven of the 20 clubs paid the highest fee in their history — as the division outspent Europe’s other four major leagues combined.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Fandom can extend beyond sports, but major leagues represent the largest generators of social connectivity.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 11 May 2026
This summer’s transfer window was a record-setting one, with Premier League teams spending more than £3billion — seven of the 20 clubs paid the highest fee in their history — as the division outspent Europe’s other four major leagues combined.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for major leagues
Noun
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But for whatever reason, that process has stagnated in the bigs.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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There are a few free agent bigs who are probably out of Denver’s price range (Mitchell Robinson, Robert Williams III, Kristaps Porzingis).—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Noun
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With prices so high, media companies are narrowing their packages, leaving some big leagues like the NBA spread across more networks and streamers.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
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For the first time in a summer transfer window, spending on new signings by England’s top 20 clubs outstripped that of those in the other four big leagues — Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 — combined.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Major leagues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/major%20leagues. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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