: relating to or involved in the big time
big-time sports
: in a major or large-scale way
the new show bombed big-time
also
: to a great extent or degree
owes me big-time
1
: a high-paying vaudeville circuit requiring only two performances a day
2
: the top rank of an activity or enterprise
Examples of big-time in a Sentence
Adverb
wow, those renovations improved the library big-time
Noun
the young ad execs knew that their agency had hit the big time when major corporations came calling
Recent Examples on the Web
Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Ultimately, the move to restructure Rendon’s contract might not have been to pursue a big-time free agent or substantively improve the 2026 roster through free agency.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 24 Mar. 2023
All those things can be potential avenues for big-time infections.
—Ambar Castillo, STAT, 23 Mar. 2023
Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Plus, hair transformations are often used to convey big time jumps in TV shows, and that scene takes place 18 months after the big battle with the Mind Flayer and Vecna.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for big-time
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Adjective
But the Jackets did add big-time linemen from Bama and Oklahoma State after Chad wrote all that?
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Ultimately, the move to restructure Rendon’s contract might not have been to pursue a big-time free agent or substantively improve the 2026 roster through free agency.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Adverb
Read more:Recent live events, rise of David Benavidez show boxing is thriving in Arizona Familia Ramos Anyone who has watched Jesús Ramos fight can see that there is big-time potential in the 22-year-old super welterweight.
—José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 24 Mar. 2023
All those things can be potential avenues for big-time infections.
—Ambar Castillo, STAT, 23 Mar. 2023
Noun
So that’s just the nature of the beast of being with the New York Yankees, even though giving up control where maybe certain other markets that plays big time.
—Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Plus, hair transformations are often used to convey big time jumps in TV shows, and that scene takes place 18 months after the big battle with the Mind Flayer and Vecna.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for big-time
Cite this Entry
“Big-time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big-time. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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