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
Recent Examples on the Web
That movie is coming up later in this list, but their second pairing, Tin Cup, is also pretty darn terrific, once again casting Costner as a coulda-been star who never quite made the big time.
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Will Leitch, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2024
Here’s some of those who grew from their community roots to the big time:
Baseball
Adam Kolarek
The 2007 Catonsville High graduate was drafted by the New York Mets in 2010 and made his Major League debut for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017.
—Craig J. Clary, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2024
Levi Holloway and Michael Shannon, a killer combination if ever Chicago theater produced one, have been to the big time and come back, formidable of craft but ever in search of intimate substance.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2024
From there, the trio made the jump from small clubs to the big time.
—John Morrison, SPIN, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for the big time 
Will Leitch, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2024
Here’s some of those who grew from their community roots to the big time:
Baseball
Adam Kolarek
The 2007 Catonsville High graduate was drafted by the New York Mets in 2010 and made his Major League debut for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017.
—Craig J. Clary, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2024
Levi Holloway and Michael Shannon, a killer combination if ever Chicago theater produced one, have been to the big time and come back, formidable of craft but ever in search of intimate substance.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2024
From there, the trio made the jump from small clubs to the big time.
—John Morrison, SPIN, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for the big time
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the big time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“The big time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20big%20time. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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