League — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈlēg/

Meaning & Definition of League

League (noun)

  1. any of various units of distance from about 2.4 to 4.6 statute miles (3.9 to 7.4 kilometers)
  2. a square league
  3. an association of nations or other political entities for a common purpose
  4. an association of persons or groups united by common interests or goals
  5. a group of sports teams that regularly play one another

League (verb)

  1. to unite in a league
  2. to form a league

League (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest

    "a league of concerned parishioners who are seeking a greater voice in church affairs"

    similar: association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fellowship, fraternity, guild, institute, institution, order, organization, society, sodality
    related: collective, commune, community, cooperative, alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership, body, cadre, group, circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, junto, klatch, lot, set, crew, outfit, party, squad, team, branch, chapter, local, faithful, fold, membership, sisterhood, sorority, cabal, camarilla, camorra, confederacy, conspiracy, band, gang, ring, cartel, combine, syndicate

  2. an association of persons, parties, or states for mutual assistance and protection

    "created to avert future wars, the League of Nations was a forerunner of the United Nations"

    similar: alliance, axis, bloc, block, coalition, combination, combine, confederacy, confederation, federation, union
    related: cabal, conspiracy, junto, cartel, syndicate, trust, faction, front, fusion, side, wing, association, group, organization, affiliation, cooperative, partnership, circuit, conference

  3. one of the units into which a whole is divided on the basis of a common characteristic

    "that falls into a different league of fiction—the popular novel"

    similar: bracket, category, class, classification, division, family, genus, grade, group, kind, order, rank(s), rubric, set, species, tier, type
    related: description, feather, ilk, kidney, like, manner, nature, sort, branch, section, speciality, specialty, subclass, subdivision, subgroup, subspecies, variety, breed, race, generation, heading, label, title

League (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to form or enter into an association that furthers the interests of its members

    "the whole block leagued together to keep a liquor store from opening in their neighborhood"

    similar: ally, associate, band (together), club, coalesce, cohere, confederate, conjoin, cooperate, federate, unite, close ranks, pull together
    related: cabal, collaborate, gang up, hang together, team (up), incorporate, organize, unionize, affiliate, amalgamate, combine, conglomerate, consolidate, converge, group, join, merge, knot, link, tie, wed
    opposite: break up, disband
    near: detach, disengage, dissolve, disunite, divorce, part, segregate, separate, sever, split, sunder, alienate, estrange, fall out

  2. to participate or assist in a joint effort to accomplish an end

    "some unlikely political bedfellows leagued together to get the bill passed"

    similar: band (together), collaborate, concert, concur, conjoin, conspire, cooperate, join, team (up), unite, make common cause, play ball, pull together
    related: connive, affiliate, ally, associate, combine, confederate, hang together, interface

Related Entry: Big league (noun)

Big league is a different word from League. The synonyms below are for big league, not for league.

  1. the highest level of a field of endeavor

    "Broadway is the big leagues, and for big bucks theatergoers expect professionalism"

    similar: big time, big(s), major league
    related: establishment, old guard

Related Entry: Bush-league (adjective)

Bush-league is a different word from League. The synonyms below are for bush-league, not for league.

  1. falling short of a standard

    "that's just a bush-league ploy to get cast on a TV reality show"

    similar: bad, bastard, bush, crummy, deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, off, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack (slang), wanting, wretched, wrong, below par, from hunger
    related: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bitchin' (slang), brutal, damnable, deplorable, detestable, disastrous, dreadful, execrable, gnarly (slang), horrendous, horrible, pathetic, stinky, sucky (slang), terrible, unspeakable, defective, faulty, flawed, egregious, flagrant, gross, bum, cheesy, coarse, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, junky, lesser, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, reprehensible, rotten, rubbishy, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, trashy, abominable, odious, vile, useless, valueless, worthless, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, meager, mean, miserly, scanty, shabby, short, skimp, skimpy, spare, stingy, miscreant, scurrilous, villainous, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham
    opposite: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK, passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
    near: classic, classical, A1, bang-up, banner, boss (slang), capital, choice, crackerjack, dandy, divine, excellent, fabulous, first-class, first-rate, grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-test, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, par excellence, perfect, premium, prime, sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, unsurpassed, wonderful, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, special, sufficient, average, borderline, fair, mediocre, middling, minimal, so-so, unexceptional, suitable, useful, worthy, gratifying, satisfying

Related Entry: Major league (noun)

Major league is a different word from League. The synonyms below are for major league, not for league.

  1. the highest level of a field of endeavor

    "when you've landed a tenure-track position at that university, you're playing in the major leagues"

    similar: big league(s), big time, big(s)
    related: establishment, old guard

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for League

The most common words with a similar meaning to League:

association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fellowship, fraternity, guild, institute, institution, order, organization, society, sodality, alliance, axis, bloc, block, coalition, combination, combine, confederacy, confederation, federation, union, bracket, category, class, classification, division, family, genus, grade, group, kind, rank(s)

Antonyms & Opposite Words for League

Words with the opposite meaning of League:

break up, disband

Related Words for League

collective, commune, community, cooperative, camp, partnership, body, cadre, circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, junto, klatch, lot, crew, outfit, party, squad, team, branch, chapter, local, faithful, fold, membership, sisterhood, sorority, cabal

Near Antonyms of League

detach, disengage, dissolve, disunite, divorce, part, segregate, separate, sever, split, sunder, alienate, estrange, fall out

Word Forms of League

Inflections: leagued, leaguing

Origin & Etymology of League

Middle English leuge, lege, from Late Latin leuga

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for League

Words & Phrases Containing League

league table, big league, bush-league, bush league, Ivy League

Frequently Asked Questions about League

What does "League" mean?

"League" means any of various units of distance from about 2.4 to 4.6 statute miles (3.9 to 7.4 kilometers). As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: any of various units of distance from about 2.4 to 4.6 statute miles (3.9 to 7.4 kilometers). It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "League"?

Other words for "League" include association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress and consortium. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "League" you intend.

What are different ways to say "League"?

There are 151 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "League". Common alternatives include association, board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council and fellowship.

What is the opposite of "League"?

Antonyms of "League" include break up and disband. Near antonyms include detach, disengage, dissolve and disunite.

How do you use "League" in a sentence?

Examples of "League" in a sentence: "a league of concerned parishioners who are seeking a greater voice in church affairs"; "created to avert future wars, the League of Nations was a forerunner of the United Nations"; "that falls into a different league of fiction—the popular novel".

Is "League" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"League" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "League" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "League" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "League"?

"League" is pronounced /ˈlēg/.