the big leagues

plural noun

US

: the two highest U.S. baseball leagues (the American League and the National League)

He always dreamed of playing in the big leagues.

—often used figuratively

She's moving up to the big leagues in the television industry.

She's in the big leagues now, working for a major law firm in a large city.

Examples of the big leagues in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Griffeys were the first father and son to play together in the big leagues. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Andrew Vaughn, Gary Sánchez, William Contreras and Cooper Pratt each had an RBI for the Brewers (83-51), who are three games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the big leagues. — CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Nate Furman, Shay Whitcomb and Grant McCray, all promoted to the big leagues from Triple-A Sacramento earlier Monday, started the game at second base, third base and right field, respectively, and hit sixth, seventh and eighth in the order. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

The Guardians have reasons not to promote him to the big leagues this year. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for the big leagues

• fatigues
• intrigues