Synonyms
- big
- big boy
- big cheese
- 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 gun in a Sentence
for a high-profile case like this, the law firm uses only its big guns
Recent Examples on the Web
To give the territorials some chance of blunting Russian attacks, Kyiv has armed at least some of its two dozen territorial brigades—one each for every major free city—with a type of big gun that, in almost any other army, would be on display at a museum.
—
David Axe, Forbes, 1 May 2022
More:How will Hogsett's big gun violence prevention plan fight crime?
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 July 2023
Whatever compels shooter after shooter to unleash maximum violence with a big gun is consuming community after community at a debilitating pace.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 25 May 2023
On paper, the 76th Cannes Film Festival looks like an embarrassment of riches, assembling no shortage of big guns in terms of major-name filmmakers.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2023
SpaceX’s bazooka over in Texas still has some kinks to work out, but the company still has its big guns in the form the Falcon Heavy rocket set for its sixth ever launch from the Space Coast.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2023
Today Campbell, a legend in his own mind, is forgotten, while Shakespeare endures and prevails as the one big gun in the canon of English literature who has no rival.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023
Across hundreds of miles of front lines, Ukrainian forces, with fewer big guns than the Russians and chronic shortages of artillery shells, have to pick their targets more selectively.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2023
But a sweaty woman with a big gun—and a child—was radical.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2023
See More
David Axe, Forbes, 1 May 2022
More:How will Hogsett's big gun violence prevention plan fight crime?
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 July 2023
Whatever compels shooter after shooter to unleash maximum violence with a big gun is consuming community after community at a debilitating pace.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 25 May 2023
On paper, the 76th Cannes Film Festival looks like an embarrassment of riches, assembling no shortage of big guns in terms of major-name filmmakers.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2023
SpaceX’s bazooka over in Texas still has some kinks to work out, but the company still has its big guns in the form the Falcon Heavy rocket set for its sixth ever launch from the Space Coast.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2023
Today Campbell, a legend in his own mind, is forgotten, while Shakespeare endures and prevails as the one big gun in the canon of English literature who has no rival.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2023
Across hundreds of miles of front lines, Ukrainian forces, with fewer big guns than the Russians and chronic shortages of artillery shells, have to pick their targets more selectively.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2023
But a sweaty woman with a big gun—and a child—was radical.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'big gun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1830, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to big gun
Dictionary Entries Near big gun
Cite this Entry
“Big gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20gun. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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