- a group of sports teams who all play each other to earn points and find which team is best
- Castleford have led the league for most of the season.
- We must do better if we are to win the league again this season.
- a league match/game
- They missed an opportunity to clinch the league title at the weekend.
- The league leaders scored 3 goals in the last five minutes.
- United were league champions last season.
- in a league the best team in the league
- Their 3–0 win was enough to put them at the top of the league.
- Bristol were at the bottom of the league.
Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: ball and racket sportsb2- He played Sunday League cricket for years.
- He set a league record for the longest touchdown run.
- The Yankees dominated the league that year.
- The team joined the Northern League last year.
- They want to start a new football league.
- They're hoping to improve their position in the league.
- new proposals for a European super league
- the first women's professional athletic league in the US
- the standard for professional sports leagues in this country
- players for a team in a fantasy league
- They face a league club in the next round.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- basketball
- cricket
- football
- …
- create
- form
- set up
- …
- champions
- leaders
- championship
- …
- in a/the league
- at the bottom of the league
- at the top of the league
- come bottom of the league
- …
- (informal) a level of quality, ability, etc.
- in a league As a painter, he is in a league of his own (= much better than others).
- They're in a different league from us.
- not in somebody's league When it comes to cooking, I'm not in her league (= she is much better than me).
- out of somebody's league A house like that is out of our league (= too expensive for us).
Extra Examples- Today's technology is in a different league.
- The car's size, price and power put it in another league.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- super
- top
- …
- in a different league
- in a league of your own
- not in the same league (as…)
- …
- a group of people or nations who have combined for a particular purpose synonym alliance
- the League of Nations
- a meeting of the Women’s League for Peace
Extra ExamplesTopics Politicsb2- the countries in the Arab League
- the League for Prison Reform
- (old use) a unit for measuring distance, equal to about 3 miles or 4 000 metresMore Like This Silent lettersSilent letters
Word Originsenses 1 to 3 late Middle English (denoting a compact for mutual protection or advantage): via French from Italian lega, from legare ‘to bind’, from Latin ligare.sense 4 late Middle English: from late Latin leuga, leuca, late Greek leugē, or from Provençal lega (modern French lieue).
Idioms
See league in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee league in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishin league (with somebody)
- making secret plans with somebody
- Those two crooks seem to be in league with each other.
Check pronunciation:
league