big-ticket

adjective

big-tick·​et ˈbig-ˈti-kət 

1

: having a high price

the car was a big-ticket item

2

: having great importance or prominence : major

The founders had hoped to address three big-ticket issues: the environment, nuclear weapons, and Middle East peace.

—David Corn

Synonyms of big-ticket

• expensive
• valuable
• costly
• premium

Examples of big-ticket in a Sentence

with the tough economy, fewer people are likely to be making big-ticket purchases

Recent Examples on the Web

Their paydays marked the most lucrative contracts Ballard has ever given to free agents coming from another team, but those two weren’t Ballard’s only big-ticket items of the offseason. —James Boyd, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025

The hub has brought with it big-ticket originals like High Water, 1983, three Harlan Coben adaptations and an upcoming local verison of Love is Blind. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025

As Mars enters Sagittarius, steer clear of big-ticket purchases! —Usa Today, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

My best advice is to take advantage of Wayfair’s best sale of the season by shopping for big-ticket items like furniture. —Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for big-ticket

• chicot
• cricket
• picket
• picot
• thicket
• ticket
• wicket