as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group
when she became the network's White House correspondent, she knew that she was now playing with the big boys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of big boy
Cowell announced his search for the next big boy band last summer, hosting open-call auditions in London, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Dublin.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Our Prince of Wales is feeling the jet lag so his big boy is there instead!
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Suck on some of these, big boy.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
This big boy showed up to the Brooks River in July and hasn’t left.
—Jessica Campbell-Salley, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for big boy
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Our Prince of Wales is feeling the jet lag so his big boy is there instead!
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Suck on some of these, big boy.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
This big boy showed up to the Brooks River in July and hasn’t left.
—Jessica Campbell-Salley, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for big boy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big boy
Noun
-
The competition categories include lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The current race similarly features a political heavyweight, a wealthy businessman with a substantial advertising presence, and underdog candidates defying expectations about their viability.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Nuggets don’t need Jokic to play the heavy in the locker room.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Mar. 2026
-
How the Script Walks a Tonal Tightrope Radcliffe credited playwrights Macmillan and Donahoe with building a structure that lets the performer pivot rapidly between the heavy and the silly.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Thomas Bryant, whom Atkinson lavishly praised as a backup big who always tries on defense, logged only 13 minutes.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
But there wasn’t much support from the Heat’s young bigs.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Bruins coach Marco Sturm made some pretty sizable line changes to start the game, plugging in rookie center Minten between David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie to try and coax more production out of his big guns.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The team needs that supporting cast clicking at the same time as big guns to create more sustained pressure.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Cohen is a star baseball player for Windward and Fullmer plays football for Harvard-Westlake and is the son of former major leaguer Brad Fullmer, one of the best players ever out of Montclair Prep.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Former Yankees pitcher and the oldest living major leaguer Art Schallock died at age 100 on March 6.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That was a gift from former Indy ball teammate and ex-big leaguer Matt Adams.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Around him was not a single big leaguer, minor leaguer, or anyone with a heater topping 90 miles per hour.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
How To Use Your PrizePicks NBA Promo The slate features several heavy hitters with massive point projections.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The heavy hitter on the other side is Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre, along with his own stable of downtown movers and shakers.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
More Coloradans are seeing the big wheel spin in their favor each year.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The cars that Geely showcased at CES, in Las Vegas, were large SUVs with big wheels, opulent interiors, and three rows of seats—not unlike a Ford Explorer.—
Patrick George,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Big boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20boy. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
