the big leagues

plural noun

: 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

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Profar, one-time Texas infielder, now 32, broke into the big leagues at 19 but has been hampered by lack of playing time and uncertainty over how, when, and where he should be used. —

Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025 Vivas would also report to Triple-A as an infielder who could reach the big leagues by season's end. —

Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025 Before all this, Uecker was a catcher (and a backup one at that) in the big leagues, playing with the Milwaukee Braves in 1962-63, the St. Louis Cardinals (1964-65), the Philadelphia Phillies (1966-67) and the Atlanta Braves (1967). —

Chris Koseluk, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2025 During his days as a catcher in the big leagues, Uecker was a member of the 1964 world champion St. Louis Cardinals. —

David K. Li, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for the big leagues

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“The big leagues.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20big%20leagues. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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