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
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 shots
Nobody shot more than Larry Bird, who made a lot of big shots in his day, too.
—
John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2026
Fox hit big shots late as the Spurs avoided falling into a 3-0 hole, which no NBA team has escaped.
—Brian Mahoney, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
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
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
John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2026
Fox hit big shots late as the Spurs avoided falling into a 3-0 hole, which no NBA team has escaped.
—Brian Mahoney, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big shots
Noun
-
The Miami Herald’s three-part NBA Draft preview concludes with a look at the bigs who are expected to be selected in the Heat’s range in the first round (if Miami keeps the pick).—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
21 June 2026
-
Almost all the point guards are likely gone at that point, but there are some intriguing bigs on the market in the early 20s.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Inside the Alif Institute, fans packed into the Arab cultural center in Embry Hills with the fervor of a stadium’s fan section as two World Cup heavyweights, Morocco and Brazil, faced off to a 1-1 draw.—
Amna Subhan,
AJC.com,
19 June 2026
-
Also on Wednesday, Harry Kane of England and Croatia's Luka Modrić square off in a Group L match of heavyweights.—
Russell Lewis,
NPR,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
Another video showed the carriage flipping over with the remaining passengers inside after its wheels struck another carriage at the park.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The heavy hitters in space telescopes are about to be joined by a new contender.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
22 June 2026
-
Smith also collaborated with other heavy hitters of the folk-pop genre in building out the 15-track project.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
In any year, in any culture, there are no antagonists (save for Nazis) better suited as action cinema heavies; rooting against child trafficking lowlifes is moral, easy, and best of all, a completely guiltless pleasure.—
Andy Crump,
IndieWire,
15 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
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
-
Then the Bruins big boys decided to make a statement after that.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
