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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Soto broke into the big leagues as a 19-year-old phenom, setting the free agency clock ticking at an early age and offering bidders a rare chance to score a player with so many prime years left in his career. —

David K. Li, NBC News, 9 Dec. 2024 May pitched 16 seasons in the big leagues, spending time with four different teams. —

Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2024 Alex, 26, has bounced around for years, including playing nearly three times as many games in the AHL as the big leagues (344 versus 121). —

James Mirtle, The Athletic, 23 Nov. 2024 Fried's departure could be the door opening for this top prospect to find his way in the big leagues. —

Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024 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 21 Dec. 2024.

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