lower division
1
3.5
- noun
:
división inferior
- In the near future, the researchers plan to share the results of this study with the First-Year Composition department in an effort to support lower division undergraduate student learning.
- upper and lower division
- lower division courses
- lower division students
Examples
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Uniforms are not of great concern in the lower divisions, and most of the teams do not have matching jerseys or t-shirts with the sponsor's name.
Academic text (1993) -
For many lower-division undergraduate students, general education courses punctuate the first two years of their college careers.
Academic text (2014) -
Many of the players are younger and less experienced in the lower divisions or are older than in the "A" division.
Academic text (1993) -
We'll never see NBA, MLB, or NFL teams playing lower division teams in their respective sports.
Blog text (12) -
First, the vast majority of research on college student-athletes has focused on athletes from "big-time" athletic programs and has virtually ignored student-athletes from smaller, lower division institutions (i.e., NCAA Division II and III).
Academic text (2001) -
The lower division teams often struggle to attract large crowds to their games.
-
Some talented players start their careers in the lower division before moving up to higher leagues.
-
Every season, the lower division teams compete for a chance to earn promotion to the top tier.
Synonyms
49
3.0
A group of sports teams that play below the top professional level
1
4.8
Professional sports leagues below the major leagues, often in baseball
1
8.9
A low-level baseball league often used to describe something of lower quality
How Competitive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is a direct, compositional combination of 'lower' (at a lesser rank) + 'division' (a tier within a league); a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer a less competitive or lower-ranked league tier. This noun phrase follows a transparent modifier–head pattern common across languages and in sports vocabulary, so the sense should be immediately understandable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Lower division comes from sports leagues that are split into levels, like floors in a building; teams on the lower 'floor' in the division system play at a weaker level. That's why lower division means a lower level or tier with less competitive teams.