minor league

¹

[mahy-ner leeg]

noun

Sports.

1. any association of professional teams other than the major leagues, as in baseball, especially when the member teams are associated with or controlled by major-league teams, which use them as training and proving teams for promising players.

minor-league

²

[mahy-ner-leeg]

adjective

1. Sports.,  of or relating to the minor leagues, especially in baseball.

2. Informal.,  of little import or consequence.

   a painter with minor-league talent.

   Synonyms: second-rate, lesser, insignificant

minor league

noun

1. any professional league in baseball other than a major league Compare major league

2. (modifier) of relatively little importance

   that firm is very minor league

Other Word Forms

• minor leaguer noun
• minor-leaguer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of minor league¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Origin of minor league²

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; adjective use of minor league ( def. )

Example Sentences

An infielder, Schaeffer hit .214 over six minor league seasons before retiring as a player to become a minor league manager in the Rockies system.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2017, you stepped in to quarterback a minor league football team at 48.

From Los Angeles Times

A former National League all-star, he was acquired on May 29 from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for minor league pitcher Mike Villani.

From Los Angeles Times

The manager eventually came up with a name: , whom the Cincinnati Reds demoted to the minor leagues before trading him to the Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times

How many times have we cheered on the ragtag baseball team, the minor league hopeful, the plucky semi-pro squad that emerges from the shadows with a miraculous ascent?

From Salon