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league

league

567 2.4
A group of teams that play each other in a competition
  • noun
  • /liːɡ/
translation icon : liga
  • The league has decided to implement new rules to enhance fair play among the teams.
  • sports league
  • professional league
  • major league

We have a Champions League winner on this week, Mr.

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Examples

  • And they said half the league's gonna be there.

  • The league organizes matches every weekend for its member teams.

  • Question of the day What English Premier League team should I support?

  • And I thought, I remember we won the league that year at Southampton away.

  • But the fact that the best team in the league right now is in Las Vegas.

  • He's the greatest winner this league has ever seen.

  • The development of less intensive leagues as youth age may help encourage them to continue their participation.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The most common consequence was suspension from league competition for varying lengths of time.

    Academic text (1994)
  • He's one of the best ballplayers in the league.

  • Two competing financial organizations each sought to bring a major-league franchise permanently to the Bay Area.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

conference
vsleague
  • Jargon
197 3.2

A group of sports teams in the same league that play each other

is the general association term rather than this specific usage
Little League
vsleague
59 2.8

An organized baseball and softball league for children with teams, games, and coaching

is the general association word not limited to youth or instruction
minor league
vsleague
  • US
49 3.0

A group of sports teams that play below the top professional level

is the neutral term for any association without implying level
bowling league
vsleague
6 3.1

A group of bowling teams that play each other during a season

is the broader term for any organized group that runs competitions
football league
vsleague
5 1.6

An organized competition where football teams play each other over a season

is the general association that organizes such competitions across sports
3 2.3

A group of basketball teams that play against each other in a series of games

is the wider group organizing competitions among member clubs
baseball league
vsleague
2 1.6

A group of baseball teams that play each other in scheduled games

is the general association responsible for matches across members
hockey league
vsleague
1 2.3

A group of hockey teams that play each other under a set schedule and rules

is the broader association term covering any sport or club competitions
premiership
vsleague
  • UK
1 4.2

The top league in a sport where the best teams play

is the ordinary association term, not limited to top divisions
EFL
vsleague
1 4.9

The organization that runs professional football leagues in England below the Premier League

is the general association type rather than this named organization

Idioms

out of my league
  • Informal
30 7.6

Too good for someone to match, often in social or romantic situations

17 7.0

Working secretly with other people to do dishonest things

Much better than others in skill or quality

Much better than other people at something

Compounds

81 3.4

The highest level of professional sport where the best players play

59 2.8

An organized baseball and softball league for children with teams, games, and coaching

51 3.0

The highest level of sports competition, like the major leagues in baseball

49 3.0

A group of sports teams that play below the top professional level

46 3.8

A group of eight well-known universities in the northeastern United States

16 3.8

An organization of Arab countries that helps them work together on politics, trade, culture, and social issues

A group of bowling teams that play each other during a season

An international group created after World War I to keep peace, ended in 1946 and replaced by the United Nations

An organized competition where football teams play each other over a season

A team that plays at the highest professional level in a sport

A sports team that plays in a lower-level league below the major leagues

A group of basketball teams that play against each other in a series of games

bush league
  • Slang
3 8.9

Not professional and showing poor skill or quality

A group of baseball teams that play each other in scheduled games

1 4.1

Affecting all teams or members in a league

A group of children who play organized baseball in a local league

A group of hockey teams that play each other under a set schedule and rules

A team that plays in the top professional sports league, like baseball

bush league
  • Slang
1 8.9

A low-level baseball league often used to describe something of lower quality

A group that speaks for and helps farmers

A group of five Iroquois tribes in eastern North America that formed a political alliance and later added a sixth

A sports team that plays in a lower league below the top teams

A group of northern European trading cities that worked together for trade and protection in the Middle Ages

A group of Native American tribes in northeastern North America that joined together

4.9

A team that does not play in the main professional league

5.3

The level of amateur and part-time football below the main leagues

A Japanese far-left group that carried out secret attacks

An organization that helps people share new ideas, find investors, and meet business contacts

A war from 1689 to 1697 in which many European countries fought against France led by King Louis XIV

How Competitive

championship
617 2.5
professional
16 3.5
league
567 2.4
ball game
58 1.0

Surface Forms

league singular
leagues plural

Etymology

League (in sports) comes from Old French ligue and Latin ligare 'to bind', the same root behind words like oblige. A sports league is simply teams 'bound' into one organized group to play against each other, which explains the modern meaning.