League: meaning, definitions and examples

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league

 

[ liːɡ ]

Noun / Verb
Oxford 3000
Context #1 | Noun

sports

A group of sports teams that play against each other in a particular sport.

Synonyms

association, confederation, organization

Examples of usage

  • She plays in a local soccer league.
  • The National Football League is one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States.
Context #2 | Noun

organization

A group of people, countries, or organizations that work together for a common purpose.

Synonyms

alliance, coalition, federation

Examples of usage

  • The League of Nations was established after World War I.
  • She is a member of the Parent-Teacher Association, a local community league.
Context #3 | Verb

sports

To form or join a league or group of teams to compete in a sport.

Synonyms

band together, collaborate, unite

Examples of usage

  • They decided to league together to create a more competitive team.
  • Many schools league up to participate in the basketball tournament.

Translations

Translations of the word "league" in other languages:

🇵🇹 liga

🇮🇳 लीग

🇩🇪 Liga

🇮🇩 liga

🇺🇦 ліга

🇵🇱 liga

🇯🇵 リーグ

🇫🇷 ligue

🇪🇸 liga

🇹🇷 lig

🇰🇷 리그

🇸🇦 دوري

🇨🇿 liga

🇸🇰 liga

🇨🇳 联盟

🇸🇮 liga

🇮🇸 deild

🇰🇿 лига

🇬🇪 ლიგა

🇦🇿 liqa

🇲🇽 liga

Etymology

The word 'league' originated from Middle English 'leuge', from Old French 'lieue', from Latin 'leuca' meaning 'a unit of distance', from Greek 'leukos' meaning 'white'. The sense of 'alliance' or 'association' came into use in the late 15th century, referring to an agreement between parties for a common purpose. In the context of sports, the term 'league' began to be used in the mid-19th century to describe a group of teams competing against each other.

Word Frequency Rank

At #6,734 in frequency, this word belongs to advanced vocabulary. It's less common than core vocabulary but important for sophisticated expression.