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big cheese

noun

Definition of big cheesenext
as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group thinks he's a big cheese just because he's got a business card

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of big cheese And the joy in the swanky dining room rockets up whenever somebody orders the Cacio e Pepe, which is mixed in a big cheese wheel, or the New York Steak, which a server sets ablaze before slicing with a flaming knife. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2026 But a big cheese board affords the chance for people to try something new. — Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024 So for decades only accredited scholars, the occasional journalist and big cheeses got to see inside. — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023 Following a voting process, this international cut of designers aged under 40 will be whittled down to a final few before the winners are selected by a panel of the conglomerate’s key designers and c-suite big cheeses some time in the summer. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big cheese
  1. heavyweight
  2. heavy
  3. big
  4. big gun
  5. big boy
  6. big wheel
  7. big leaguer
  8. major leaguer
Noun
  • His title defense begins Wednesday against Bear 164, Bucky, one of the river's emerging heavyweights.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Referee Frank Trigg immediately stopped the fight, giving Sharaf his first UFC victory and a finish tied for the third-fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • Trapped together in the heavy, stifling isolation of the summer heat, the siblings’ bond begins to shift into something unsettling and difficult to define.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Mehring’s characters include petty criminals, unscrupulous lawyers, Galician Jews, Freikorps heavies, local and international businessmen, Prussian generals, and the everyday citizens inhabiting the streets of Berlin’s old and rather dingy center.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of heavy
Noun
  • Unfortunately, the less said about China’s guards, the better; their main job is to get the ball past half court without turning it over and then feed the bigs.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • That is a remarkable incentive, if not catnip, to send Condon to the bigs.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of big
Noun
  • After England have raised a glass comes a three-match one-day international series this week when India will welcome back big guns including captain Shubman Gill and legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Clinging to a one-run lead and with the top of the order due up, Tracy went to one of his big guns, calling in Whitlock to put out the fire.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 24 May 2026
Definition of big gun
Noun
  • These are the 30-homer big boys, the men who hit in the top four spots of most teams’ lineups.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • But taking on one of Wall Street’s big boys, and then getting squashed for it, ranks right up there.
    — Liz Peek, Washington Post, 4 May 2026
Definition of big boy
Noun
  • For all of its strengths, my one wish for the Weber Kettle is better wheel nuts holding the big wheels in place.
    — Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 17 May 2026
  • Denali versions aim for gloss, chrome, big wheels and illuminated badging, while the AT4 gets the tougher costume - 35-inch allou-terrain tires, red recovery hooks, extra ground clearance and a more trail-minded stance flavor.
    — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 6 May 2026
Definition of big wheel
Noun
  • Jones has also done two unexpected things — one good and one bad — since becoming a big leaguer.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The first-year big leaguer had 31 homers and 108 RBIs and is the odds-on favorite for National League Rookie of the Year.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of big leaguer
Noun
  • The last major leaguer to hit a game-tying or go-ahead homer in the seventh or later, after at least 12 pitches, was the Texas Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran, on June 27, 2023.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 30 Aug. 2026
  • With six strikeouts over 4 2/3 scoreless innings, Rasmus — the 12-year-old daughter of former major leaguer Cory Rasmus — is up to 14 for the tournament, tying Mo’ne Davis (Philadelphia, 2014) for the most strikeouts by a girl in series history.
    — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of major leaguer

Browse Nearby Words

big business
big cheese
big cheeses
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Cite this Entry

“Big cheese.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20cheese. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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