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 figurativelyShe'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
Like last year — and an unlikely path to the big leagues that started in McHenry long before that — the X-factor to Miller’s success is his emotional control and competitive composure; making sure the fire that fuels his talent is always being stoked in the right direction.
—
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2024
There’s no mercy rule in the big leagues, but McKechnie finally showed some mercy to his floundering pitcher.
—Frederic J. Frommer, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
But Alvarez proved to be more than ready for the big leagues and Narvaez’s defense was dismal.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 20 June 2024
Mays was called up to the big leagues in 1951 and made an immediate impact — winning the National League’s Rookie of the Year award for his pennant-winning Giants.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 19 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the big leagues 
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2024
There’s no mercy rule in the big leagues, but McKechnie finally showed some mercy to his floundering pitcher.
—Frederic J. Frommer, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
But Alvarez proved to be more than ready for the big leagues and Narvaez’s defense was dismal.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 20 June 2024
Mays was called up to the big leagues in 1951 and made an immediate impact — winning the National League’s Rookie of the Year award for his pennant-winning Giants.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 19 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the big leagues
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the big leagues.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“The big leagues.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20big%20leagues. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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