League

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

League, n. [Cf. OE. legue, lieue, a measure of length, F. lieue, Pr. lega, legua, It. & LL. lega, Sp. legua, Pg. legoa, legua; all fr. LL. leuca, of Celtic origin: cf. Arm. leo, lev (perh. from French), Ir. leige (perh. from English); also Ir. & Gael. leac a flag, a broad, flat stone, W. llech, -- such stones having perh. served as a sort of milestone (cf. Cromlech).].

•  A measure of length or distance, varying in different countries from about 2.4 to 4.6 English statute miles of 5,280 feet each, and used (as a land measure) chiefly on the continent of Europe, and in the Spanish parts of America. The marine league of England and the United States is equal to three marine, or geographical, miles of 6080 feet each.  [1913 Webster]

  " The English land league is equal to three English statute miles. The Spanish and French leagues vary in each country according to usage and the kind of measurement to which they are applied. The Dutch and German leagues contain about four geographical miles, or about 4.6 English statute miles."  [1913 Webster]
•  A stone erected near a public road to mark the distance of a league.  [1913 Webster]

League, n. [F. ligue, LL. liga, fr. L. ligare to bind; cf. Sp. liga. Cf. Ally a confederate, Ligature.].

•  An alliance or combination of two or more nations, parties, organizations, or persons, for the accomplishment of a purpose which requires a continued course of action, as for mutual defense, or for furtherance of commercial, religious, or political interests, etc.  [1913 Webster]

  "And let there be
  'Twixt us and them no league, nor amity."  [1913 Webster]
•  An association of sports teams that establishes rules of play, decides questions of membership in the league, and organizes matches between the member teams. In some cases a sports league is called a conference, as in the National Football Conference.  [PJC]

  " A league may be offensive or defensive, or both; offensive, when the parties agree to unite in attacking a common enemy; defensive, when they agree to a mutual defense of each other against an enemy."  [1913 Webster]

The Holy League, an alliance of Roman Catholics formed in 1576 by influence of the Duke of Guise for the exclusion of Protestants from the throne of France. -- Solemn League and Covenant. See Covenant,2. -- The land league, an association, organized in Dublin in 1879, to promote the interests of the Irish tenantry, its avowed objects being to secure fixity of tenure, fair rent, and free sale of the tenants' interest. It was declared illegal by Parliament, but vigorous prosecutions have failed to suppress it.

Syn. -- Alliance; confederacy; confederation; coalition; combination; compact; co'94peration.

League, v. i. [Cf. F. se liguer. See 2d League.].

 To unite in a league or confederacy; to combine for mutual support; to confederate.  South.  [1913 Webster]

League, v. t. 

 To join in a league; to cause to combine for a joint purpose; to combine; to unite; as, common interests will league heterogeneous elements.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

League, n. & v.
--n.
1 a collection of people, countries, groups, etc., combining for a particular purpose, esp. mutual protection or cooperation.
2 an agreement to combine in this way.
3 a group of sports clubs which compete over a period for a championship.
4 a class of contestants.
--v.intr. (leagues, leagued, leaguing) (often foll. by together) join in a league.

Idiom

in league allied, conspiring. league football Austral. Rugby League or Australian Rules football played in leagues. league table
1 a listing of competitors as a league, showing their ranking according to performance.
2 any list of ranking order.

League, n. archaic a varying measure of travelling-distance by land, usu. about three miles.

Etymology

ME, ult. f. LL leuga, leuca, of Gaulish orig.

THESAURUS

League

Anschluss, Bund, NATO, Rochdale cooperative, SEATO, accouple, accumulate, act in concert, act together, addition, affiliate, affiliate with, affiliation, agglomeration, agglutinate, aggregation, agreement, alignment, alliance, ally, amalgamate, amalgamation, amass, anschluss, articulate, assemblage, assemble, assimilation, associate, association, axis, band, band together, be in cahoots, be in league, blend, blending, bloc, body, bond, bracket, bridge, bridge over, brotherhood, bunch, bunch up, cabal, cahoots, capitulation, cartel, category, cement, cement a union, centralization, centralize, chain, circuit, clap together, clot, club, club together, cluster, coact, coadunation, coalesce, coalescence, coalition, collaborate, colleagueship, collect, college, collegialism, collegiality, collude, combination, combine, combo, come into, come together, common market, composition, comprise, comradeship, concatenate, concert, concord, concordat, concur, confederacy, confederate, confederation, conference, confraternity, congeries, conglobulate, conglomeration, congregate, conjoin, conjugate, conjugation, conjunction, connect, consociate, consolidate, consolidation, conspiracy, conspire, consumer cooperative, convention, converge, cooperate, cooperative, cooperative society, copartnership, copartnery, copulate, corps, council, couple, cover, credit union, creep in, crowd, customs union, date, division, do business with, economic community, ecumenism, embodiment, embrace, encompass, encompassment, enlist, enosis, enroll, entente, entente cordiale, enter, federalization, federalize, federate, federation, fellowship, flock together, flow together, forgather, fraternalism, fraternity, fraternization, free trade area, freemasonry, fuse, fusion, gang, gang around, gang up, gather, gather around, get heads together, get into, get together, glue, go in partners, go in partnership, go into, go partners, grade, group, grouping, guild, hang together, harmonize, herd together, hive, hold together, hook up, hook up with, hookup, horde, huddle, include, inclusion, incorporation, integration, international agreement, join, join forces, join fortunes with, join in, join together, join up, join up with, join with, junction, junta, keep together, knot, lay together, league together, league with, link, loop, lump together, machine, make common cause, marriage, marry, marshal, mass, meet, meld, melding, merge, merger, mill, mob, mobilize, muster, mutual-defense treaty, nonaggression pact, order, organize, package, package deal, paction, pair, pair off, partner, partnership, piece together, pigeonhole, play ball, political machine, pull together, put heads together, put together, rally, rally around, reciprocate, rendezvous, ring, seethe, sign on, sign up, sneak in, society, sodality, solder, solidification, sorority, span, splice, stand together, stand up with, stick together, stream, surge, swarm, syncretism, syndication, syneresis, synthesis, take in, take out membership, take up membership, tape, team up, team up with, team with, throng, throw in together, throw in with, tie, tie in, tie in with, tie up, tie up with, tie-in, tie-up, tier, treaty, unification, unify, union, unionize, unite, unite efforts, unite with, wed, wedding, weld, wheel, work together, yoke

ROGET THESAURUS

League

Party

N party, faction, side, denomination, communion, set, crew, band, horde, posse, phalanx, family, clan, team, tong, council, community, body, fellowship, sodality, solidarity, confraternity, familistere, familistery, brotherhood, sisterhood, knot, gang, clique, ring, circle, group, crowd, in-crowd, coterie, club, casino, machine, Tammany, Tammany Hall, corporation, corporate body, guild, establishment, company, copartnership, partnership, firm, house, joint concern, joint-stock company, cahoot, combine, trust, society, association, institute, institution, union, trades union, league, syndicate, alliance, Verein, Bund, Zollverein, combination, Turnverein, league offensive and defensive, alliance offensive and defensive, coalition, federation, confederation, confederacy, junto, cabal, camarilla, camorra, brigue, freemasonry, party spirit, Confederates, Conservatives, Democrats, Federalists, Federals, Freemason, Knight Templar, Kuklux, Kuklux Klan, KKK, Liberals, Luddites, Republicans, Socialists, Tories, Whigs staff, dramatis personae, in league, in partnership, in alliance, bonded together, banded together, linked, joined together, embattled, confederated, federative, joint, hand in hand, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, en masse, in the same boat.

Concord

N concord, accord, harmony, symphony, homologue, agreement, sympathy, empathy, response, union, unison, unity, bonds of harmony, peace, unanimity, league, happy family, rapprochement, reunion, amity, alliance, entente cordiale, good understanding, conciliation, peacemaker, intercessor, mediator, concordant, congenial, agreeing, in accord, harmonious, united, cemented, banded together, allied, friendly, fraternal, conciliatory, at one with, of one mind, at peace, in still water, tranquil, with one voice, in concert with, hand in hand, on one's side, commune periculum concordiam parit, melody concord, melody, rhythm, measure, rhyme, pitch, timbre, intonation, tone, scale, gamut, diapason, diatonic chromatic scale, enharmonic scale, key, clef, chords, modulation, temperament, syncope, syncopation, preparation, suspension, resolution, staff, stave, line, space, brace, bar, rest, appoggiato, appoggiatura, acciaccatura, note, musical note, notes of a scale, sharp, flat, natural, high note, low note, interval, semitone, second, third, fourth, diatessaron, breve, semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, demisemiquaver, hemidemisemiquaver, sustained note, drone, burden, tonic, key note, leading note, fundamental note, supertonic, mediant, dominant, submediant, subdominant, octave, tetrachord, major key, minor key, major scale, minor scale, major mode, minor mode, passage, phrase, concord, harmony, emmeleia, unison, unisonance, chime, homophony, euphony, euphonism, tonality, consonance, consent, part, harmony, harmonics, thorough-bass, fundamental-bass, counterpoint, faburden, piece of music, composer, harmonist, contrapuntist (musician), harmonious, harmonical, in concord, in tune, in concert, unisonant, concentual, symphonizing, isotonic, homophonous, assonant, ariose, consonant, measured, rhythmical, diatonic, chromatic, enharmonic, melodious, musical, melic, tuneful, tunable, sweet, dulcet, canorous, mellow, mellifluous, soft, clear, clear as a bell, silvery, euphonious, euphonic, euphonical, symphonious, enchanting fine-toned, full-toned, silver-toned, harmoniously, in harmony, as one, the hidden soul of harmony.

Length

N length, longitude, span, mileage, distance, line, bar, rule, stripe, streak, spoke, radius, lengthening, prolongation, production, protraction, tension, tensure, extension, line, nail, inch, hand, palm, foot, cubit, yard, ell, fathom, rood, pole, furlong, mile, league, chain, link, arpent, handbreadth, jornada, kos, vara, astronomical unit, AU, light- year, parsec, nanometer, nm, micron, micrometer, millimicron, millimeter, mm, centimeter, cm, meter, kilometer, km, pedometer, perambulator, scale, long, longsome, lengthy, wiredrawn, outstretched, lengthened, sesquipedalian, interminable, no end of, macrocolous, linear, lineal, longitudinal, oblong, as long as my arm, as long as today and tomorrow, unshortened &c (shorten), lengthwise, at length, longitudinally, endlong, along, tandem, in a line, in perspective, from end to end, from stem to stern, from head to foot, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, from top to toe, fore and aft.