the big time
noun phrase
: the highest or most successful level of an activity
He was a good basketball player but he never made (it to) the big time.
The group performed in small clubs for years before hitting the big time with a record deal.
Examples of the big time in a Sentence
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If the album positions them in the lineage of sometime tourmates Modest Mouse and the Flaming Lips, Something Worth Waiting For sounds less like a swing for the big time than a merry jaunt into its general vicinity, happy to pick up any alt-rock lifers who’ll come.
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Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 Mar. 2026
In the end, Chelsea’s superior fitness and quality from the bench told — as did, significantly, the extra man once Dobson was sent off for that wild challenge on Garnacho — but the occasion will have given the home supporters and players another taste of the big time and left them longing for more.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Fusion19 The beachside town of Muro, never exactly a gastronomic hotspot, hit the big time in 2023 when Fusion19 won its first Michelin star.
—Paul Richardson, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
Shared by Houston and Austin, Ishida Dance Company is moving up to the big time.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the big time
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Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 Mar. 2026
In the end, Chelsea’s superior fitness and quality from the bench told — as did, significantly, the extra man once Dobson was sent off for that wild challenge on Garnacho — but the occasion will have given the home supporters and players another taste of the big time and left them longing for more.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Fusion19 The beachside town of Muro, never exactly a gastronomic hotspot, hit the big time in 2023 when Fusion19 won its first Michelin star.
—Paul Richardson, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
Shared by Houston and Austin, Ishida Dance Company is moving up to the big time.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the big time
Cite this Entry
“The big time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20big%20time. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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