Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
major leaguer

major leaguer

7 3.4
A baseball player who plays for a top professional team
  • noun
  • /ˈmeɪdʒər ˈliɡər/
translation icon : jugador de grandes ligas
  • The young prospect dreams of one day becoming a successful major leaguer in the big leagues.
  • former major leaguer
  • first major leaguer
  • team of major leaguers

Because he looks like X major Leaguer, you know?

Examples

  • "He has all the earmarks of a major leaguer," Gibbs said, coming up from behind.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Okay, now, do one of you guys have the guts to hit off a real major leaguer?

    The Sandlot: Heading Home (2007)

  • If multiple balls bounce well, the team may have two or three major leaguers in their haul.

    Blog text (6)

  • Another series of games, the Japan Tour, played between American major leaguers and Japanese teams, was also publicized.

    Academic text (2000)

  • You're saying we got a major leaguer right here, coaching our kids?

    Three Wishes (1995)

  • Meet Cory Vaughn, son of former major leaguer Greg Vaughn.

    Blog text (34)

  • Every boy who leaves the island and returns to San Pedro as a major leaguer raises the town's fervor for the game another notch.

    Academic text (1994)

  • No major leaguer has done that for a season since Jim Adduci had 97 walkless PAs in 1988.

    Blog text (28)

  • Roberto Clemente was a legendary major leaguer known for his strong arm and batting skills.

  • After years of dedication and hard work, she finally became a major leaguer with her favorite team.

Synonyms

big leaguer
vsmajor leaguer
  • US
1 5.6

A baseball player on a top professional team

is the neutral formal expression used in official or written contexts

Antonyms

minor leaguer
  • US
5 4.8

A baseball player who plays for a professional team below the top level

How Elite

star player
13 2.0
major leaguer
7 3.4
professional
16 3.5
minor leaguer
  • US
5 4.8

Surface Forms

major leaguer singular
major leaguers plural

Morphology

majors + leaguer

The meaning is directly compositional: 'major' (as in 'major league') combined with 'leaguer' (a member/participant of a league) yields 'a member/player of the major league.' This follows a regular agentive noun formation and parallels similar constructions in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The term major leaguer comes from baseball: major refers to the 'major leagues', the top teams, and leaguer means someone in a league. So a major leaguer is a player on those top teams, which is why the phrase means a professional player at the highest level.