as in bigs
one of high position or importance within a group
for a high-profile case like this, the law firm uses only its big guns
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Recent Examples of big guns
The Minnesota Wild’s big guns showed up in a big way Saturday night, and the Avs looked wobbly for the first time in this tournament in a 5-1 loss in Game 3 at Grand Casino Arena.
—
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
Against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, Wrexham twice raced into a two-goal lead only for the half-time of introduction of the Premier League’s ‘big guns’ to underline how far the Welsh club still has to go if their owners’ top flight ambitions are to be realised.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Stars don’t shine The Bruins’ big guns finished with some ugly numbers for the series.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026
Related Stories Chile, as the guest country of honor, will be sending its big guns with Pablo Larrain, Sebastián Lelio and Maite Alberdi leading a contingent.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
The comedy big guns come out to pay their respects to the groundbreaking genius whose comedy is still radical — Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman are just a few.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
There also aren't too many catchers who can put up above-average offensive stats these days, so adding Jeffers into the deal means the Yankees should be prepared to part ways with at least one of their big guns in the pitching pipeline, namely Carlos Lagrange or Elmer Rodríguez.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Some big guns were still here, but the results often underdelivered.
—Alan Light, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
The battleship used to rule the seas thanks to big guns and thick armor, was displaced by the aircraft carrier.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
Against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, Wrexham twice raced into a two-goal lead only for the half-time of introduction of the Premier League’s ‘big guns’ to underline how far the Welsh club still has to go if their owners’ top flight ambitions are to be realised.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Stars don’t shine The Bruins’ big guns finished with some ugly numbers for the series.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026
Related Stories Chile, as the guest country of honor, will be sending its big guns with Pablo Larrain, Sebastián Lelio and Maite Alberdi leading a contingent.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
The comedy big guns come out to pay their respects to the groundbreaking genius whose comedy is still radical — Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman are just a few.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
There also aren't too many catchers who can put up above-average offensive stats these days, so adding Jeffers into the deal means the Yankees should be prepared to part ways with at least one of their big guns in the pitching pipeline, namely Carlos Lagrange or Elmer Rodríguez.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Some big guns were still here, but the results often underdelivered.
—Alan Light, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
The battleship used to rule the seas thanks to big guns and thick armor, was displaced by the aircraft carrier.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big guns
Noun
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But for whatever reason, that process has stagnated in the bigs.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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There are a few free agent bigs who are probably out of Denver’s price range (Mitchell Robinson, Robert Williams III, Kristaps Porzingis).—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Noun
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South Korea’s Kospi recently hit an all-time high, but the index appears to be overly reliant on two heavyweights — Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — according to BTIG analyst Jonathan Krinsky in a note.—
Justina Lee,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
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For a group of British retail heavyweights, the government’s move to close a tax loophole on low-value goods from overseas by 2029 would come too little, too late.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Then Stankoven recorded his first point of the series by capping a two-on-one off a pass from Blake as the wheels started to come off for Montreal.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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Regions like Brittany and Bordeaux have their own distinctive baking traditions, with buttery treats that come shaped like bicycle wheels or coated in beeswax.—
Jen Rose Smith,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Noun
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However, on season 2 of Twin Peaks, the actress played Miss Jones, the right-hand woman for one of the series' heavies, Thomas Eckhardt (the late David Warner).—
Drew Mackie,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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Specifically, Alioto sought to reimagine the magazine as a many-pronged vehicle for promising tastes—like those of regular contributors and critical heavies, Grace Byron and Greta Rainbow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Jordin Canada was equally impressive, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists while hitting big shots when Atlanta needed them most, including a clutch three-pointer late that pushed the lead to 73-65.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Dylan Harper had 24 points on 11 shots off the bench, Stephon Castle had 20 points and De’Aaron Fox had a number of big shots to allow the Spurs to lead by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
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The car's quirky appearance is enhanced by a sporty body kit and big wheels that are pushed to the farthest edges.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
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But taking on one of Wall Street’s big boys, and then getting squashed for it, ranks right up there.—
Liz Peek,
Washington Post,
4 May 2026
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Then the Bruins big boys decided to make a statement after that.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And there will be some pretty heavy hitters doing battle.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
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Returning heavy hitters include Gagosian, Gladstone Gallery, Marian Goodman Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, kurimanzutto, Mendes Wood DM, Pace Gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, White Cube, and David Zwirner.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Big guns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20guns. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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