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

But after getting a taste of baseball, does Forsling think his hockey skills — particularly his slap shot that is one of the harder ones in the NHL — could translate to getting a hit in the big leagues? — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026

Many fans would likely groan about Volpe returning to the big leagues at any point this year, but the Yankees haven’t ruled it out. — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Sunday short takes *There’s another former Husky in the big leagues. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026

Dunkers must qualify in a series of open-competition events in front of a panel of professional judges before progressing to the big leagues. — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for the big leagues

• fatigues
• intrigues