Big Ben

noun

-ˈben 

1

: a large bell in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London

2

: the tower that houses Big Ben

also : the clock in the tower

Examples of Big Ben in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Renowned gold-leaf atelier Giusto Manetti Battiloro, whose restoration portfolio includes the Florence Cathedral, London’s Big Ben, and the Rockefeller Center’s Prometheus statue, was commissioned to create the beacon-like element that punctuates the building’s light-refracting white facade. — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 27 June 2026

In 1859, Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time. — ABC News, 22 June 2026

Gomez donned her go-to rich chocolate locks while posing backstage in an Elizabethan-style dress and taking photos on a bridge with the London Eye and Big Ben in the background. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 3 June 2026

Walkers can move from Westminster Abbey and Big Ben to Buckingham Palace, then continue along the Thames toward Borough Market, Tower Bridge and the city’s distinctive neighborhoods. — Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Sir Benjamin Hall †1867 English Chief Commissioner of Works

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Big Ben

• again
• airmen
• amen
• bullpen
• culmen
• flagmen
• gunmen
• lawmen
• oilmen
• playpen
• schoolmen
• tegmen