as in bigs
one of high position or importance within a group
a meeting at which all of the big shots in the company were present
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Recent Examples of big shots
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
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
Guys stepping up in big moments, making big shots.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Doncic had 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but was three for 13 from three and missed two big shots in the final seconds.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Played so well defensively, changed the game for us with his ball pressure and knocked down big shots.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
After taking control with their offensive outburst, Mara Braun cashed a couple of big shots from long range that forced Green Bay to call a timeout.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2026
The Frogs made enough big shots in the final minutes to prevent another upset.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2026
Picking up full court, hitting big shots.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Christopher Harris, CBS News, 13 May 2026
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
Guys stepping up in big moments, making big shots.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Doncic had 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but was three for 13 from three and missed two big shots in the final seconds.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Played so well defensively, changed the game for us with his ball pressure and knocked down big shots.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
After taking control with their offensive outburst, Mara Braun cashed a couple of big shots from long range that forced Green Bay to call a timeout.
—Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 21 Mar. 2026
The Frogs made enough big shots in the final minutes to prevent another upset.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2026
Picking up full court, hitting big shots.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big shots
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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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
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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
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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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
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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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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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
Cite this Entry
“Big shots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20shots. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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