bigger; biggest
1
a
: large or great in dimensions, bulk, or extent
a big house
also
: large or great in quantity, number, or amount
a big fleet
b
: operating on a large scale
big government
c
of a letter
: capital sense 1
2
a
: filled with or characterized by enthusiasm and interest
I'm a big fan of soy foods but urge you to choose them wisely.—
Andrew Weil
: active and enthusiastic
Andrew WeilMy mother is a big baker, and so was my grandmother …—Melissa Parks
Melissa ParksI'm not a big shopper, so for me to actually like a store is really saying something.—Matt Cameron
Matt Cameron
b
: expressed in an enthusiastic or unrestrained way : hearty
greeted me with a big hug
3
a
: chief, preeminent
the big issue of the campaign
b
: of great importance or significance
the big moment
c
: magnanimous, generous
was big about it
d
: outstandingly worthy or able
a truly big man
e
: imposing, pretentious
using big words
also
: marked by or given to boasting
big talk
4
informal
: more advanced in age : older
my big brother
: more mature
His teachers all told me he was excited about riding the bus, feeling like a big boy now.—Laurie Frey
Laurie Frey5
: popular
soft drinks are very big in Mexico—Russ Leadabrand
Russ Leadabrand6
a
: of great force
a big storm
b
obsolete
: of great strength
Sir Launcelot was big and strong again.—Thomas Malory
Thomas Malory7
8
: full-bodied and flavorful
—used of wine
bigly
adverb
bigness
noun
1
a
: to a large amount or extent
won big
b
: on a large scale
think big
2
: in a loud or declamatory manner
also
: in a boasting manner
talk big
3
: hard
hits her forehand big
1
: an individual or organization of outstanding importance or power
2
basketball, informal
: a big player : a center or forward whose large size and strength are used to control play near the basket
But, the problem is that you MUST have guards. You can't play five bigs.—Martin Manley
Martin Manley
Phrases
big on
: strongly favoring or liking
also
: noted for
she is big on blushing —Arnold Hano
Arnold Hano Synonyms
Adjective
- consequential
- earth-shattering
- earthshaking
- eventful
- historic
- important
- major
- material
- meaningful
- momentous
- monumental
- much
- significant
- substantial
- tectonic
- weighty
Noun
- big boy
- big cheese
- big gun
- big leaguer
- big shot
- big wheel
- big-timer
- bigfoot
- biggie
- bigwig
- fat cat
- heavy
- heavy hitter
- heavyweight
- high-muck-a-muck
- high-muckety-muck
- honcho
- kahuna
- kingfish
- kingpin
- major leaguer
- muckety-muck
- muck-a-muck
- mucky-muck
- nabob
- nawab
- nibs
- nob [chiefly British]
- pooh-bah
- poo-bah
- wheel
Examples of big in a Sentence
Adjective
a big glass of soda
She moved to a bigger city.
the biggest city in the state
He led a big group through the museum.
She works for a big company.
He organized a big advertising campaign.
We had a big fund-raiser for the school.
Adverb
He talks big about his plans, but he hasn't done much yet.
Noun
with that new promotion he's now one of the bigs in the company
the big story that year was the election of the president
Recent Examples on the WebLaylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 13 June 2024
Trying to make a big splash will hinder your ability to convince others of your sincerity and deter you from gaining support.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 13 June 2024
Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 28 Jan. 2024
The Mustang defense came up big in the final inning.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 23 May 2024
Lauren Fischer, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2024
The Timberwolves shot better than 52% as a team and no player thrived without the athletic big’s presence in the lane more than Anthony Edwards.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for big 
Adjective
Miller said last year’s ISA World Para Surfing Championships was a big success, calling it one of the most emotional sporting events ever to come to town.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 13 June 2024
Trying to make a big splash will hinder your ability to convince others of your sincerity and deter you from gaining support.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 13 June 2024
Adverb
Brophy Prep had its second statement win in a week, beating Chandler Basha a week after beating then No. 1 Perry, as guard Braeden Speed came up big again.
—Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 28 Jan. 2024
The Mustang defense came up big in the final inning.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 23 May 2024
Noun
In fact, small is the new big (or something like that), and tiny homes are popping up everywhere.
—Lauren Fischer, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2024
The Timberwolves shot better than 52% as a team and no player thrived without the athletic big’s presence in the lane more than Anthony Edwards.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for big
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'big.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near big
Cite this Entry
“Big.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
big
1 of 2 adjective
bigger; biggest
1
: of great force
a big storm
2
a
: large in size, bulk, or extent
a big house
big government
a big city
b
: large in number or amount
a big fleet
big money
c
: capital entry 1 sense 2
big letters
3
: of great importance
my big chance
a big star in movies
4
informal
: being older
my big sister
bigness
noun
big
2 of 2 adverb1
: in a big way
win big
2
: so as to boast
talk big
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