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Glite Dictionary
in league

in league

17 7.0
Working secretly with other people to do dishonest things
  • idiom
translation icon : coludido con
  • Are you in league with the wicked old hag who sent my poor Giselle to this foul place, Arty?

I don't think most Democrats, most liberals are in league with what the far left is saying.

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Examples

  • There was still no direct evidence against Tuohey, nothing to actually prove he was in league with Kosic and the others.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The politician was accused of being in league with corrupt businessmen.

  • And when you put efficiency in league with evil, it's not a good combination.

  • Many times Max thought Pearl and Alice were in league against him.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • So then he's not in league with the Spanish.

    Elizabeth (1998)

  • McClane rolls his eyes, as if in league with the customer against the company.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Selene's clearly in league with the Lycans.

    Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)

  • Crimson Dawn will use their profits from the coaxium you stole to tyrannize system after system in league with the Empire.

    Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

  • Strand sagged in relief that the boy wasn't in league with Axelrod.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The manager is in league with the rival company to sabotage our plans.

Synonyms

in bed with
vsin league
  • Literature
20 8.6

Secretly working with someone to do wrong or gain unfair advantage

focuses on active secret cooperation for dishonest purposes rather than mere association
in cahoots
vsin league
  • Informal
17 7.6

Secretly working together to do something dishonest

describes general cooperation that can be secret or dishonest rather than only plotting
collusive
vsin league
1 8.6

Working secretly with others to cheat or break the law

is broader, covering cooperation that may be secret or dishonest rather than only illegal

Antonyms

opposing
15 3.4

Being against another person or group

disunited
1 6.0

Not joined or working together as a group

How Cooperative

in league
17 7.0
in cahoots
  • Informal
17 7.6

Surface Forms

in league positive

Morphology

in + league

The phrase is directly compositional: 'in' indicates membership or association and 'league' denotes an alliance or partnership, so 'in league' naturally conveys being allied or acting together. The typical nuance of secret or dishonest cooperation is a pragmatic extension but is still a predictable interpretation of being 'in an alliance', so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

In league may come from the simple picture of people joining a league — a small group or agreement made in secret. If someone is in that league, they are working together, so today it means 'acting together', often secretly or for a dishonest purpose.