league1
/liːɡ
/noun
1A collection of people, countries, or groups that combine for mutual protection or cooperation: the League of Nations...
- When the Constitution was submitted to referendum, short-lived federation leagues were formed in many centres to campaign for a ‘yes’ vote.
- The league has taken the government to court over the fact that children were not being protected from bullying, assault and self-harm.
- Finally, the league inaugurated the idea of collective economic sanctions.
Synonyms
alliance, confederation, confederacy, federation, union, association, coalition, combine, consortium, affiliation, guild, corporation, conglomerate, cooperative, partnership, fellowship, syndicate, compact, band, group, circle, ring;
bloc, faction, axis, congress, entente;
brotherhood, society, fraternity, coterie, lodge
rare consociation, sodality
1.1 archaic An agreement or alliance.This is about the integrity of a league and an agreement: A deal is a deal.
2A group of sports clubs which play each other over a period for a championship: the leading goalscorer in the league [as modifier]: the league championship...
- The cloud is kicked up from so many teams scrambling for the league championship.
- Players in the Premiership are playing in that league for a reason and that goes for players in Divisions One, Two and Three.
- It made sense, of course, since the hockey league he played for was beginning their Christmas break.
Synonyms
championship, competition, contest;
group, band, association
2.1The contest for the championship of a league: the year we won the league...
- At this moment it is easier to win the league than the Champions League or even the FA Cup.
- Fair enough, they've had a couple of good results, but winning the Champions league?
- Twice they won the league and twice lost in the play-offs that guaranteed promotion.
2.2 short for rugby league.Fourteen men a side is not rugby union, nor league, and certainly not cricket, and the sooner they learn that the better for the dignity of the game and future tourists....
- Robinson's success has sparked a rash of worthy articles in the Australian press, all dealing with the supposed impact of league upon British rugby union.
- There are several sports which involve spinal risk, including horse riding and football, especially rugby union and league.
3A class or category of quality or excellence: the two men were not in the same league Austin’s in a league of his own...
- We were totally out of our league, however, in the fine wines category and after the questions on Chinese dynasties we were in last place.
- She's out of her league, according to the class consciousness of the time.
- When it comes to pulling political strokes, they are a class act, in a league of their own.
Synonyms
class, group, category, ability group, level of ability, level
verb (leagues, leaguing, leagued) [no object]
Join in a league or alliance: Oscar had leagued with other construction firms...
- The marquess of Montrose, initially a Covenanter, leagued with the Irish to invade in the north-west and with Alasdair MacColla turned a feud between the Scots-Irish MacDonalds and Argyll's Campbells into a powerful threat.
- And since then it has been leagued with various investigations into the historical Jesus.
- His policies of appeasement leagued him frequently with the prudent Phocion.
Synonyms
ally, join forces, join together, unite, form an association, band together, affiliate, combine, amalgamate, form a federation, confederate, collaborate, team up, join up
Phrases
in league
Origin
Late Middle English (denoting a compact for mutual protection or advantage): via French from Italian lega, from legare 'to bind', from Latin ligare.
ally from Middle English:
Latin alligere ‘combine together’, formed from ad- ‘to(gether)’ and ligare ‘bind’ developed into two closely related words in Old French: alier which became ally in English, and aloyer which became alloy (late 16th century). Ligare is also hidden in furl (late 16th century) which comes from French ferler, from ferm ‘firm’ and lier ‘bind’; league (Late Middle English) a binding together; and oblige (Middle English) originally meaning ‘bind by oath’.
Rhymes
league2
/liːɡ/noun
A former measure of distance by land, usually about three miles.In 1803 Napoleon exiled her to twenty leagues, roughly fifty miles, from Paris....
- The tunnel measured ten leagues east to west, and it covered that distance in an arrow-straight line.
- She was not permitted to travel more than two leagues (five miles) from Coppet and began to receive word that orders for her arrest were pending.
Origin
Late Middle English: from late Latin leuga, leuca, late Greek leugē, or from Provençal lega (modern French lieue).