bigwig

noun

ˈbig-ˌwig How to pronounce bigwig (audio)
Definition of bigwignext
as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group interviewed by several bigwigs on the hospital's staff

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 bigwig According to IndieWire, Parsons spent his senior year of high school fielding offers from Hollywood bigwigs for a feature-length Backrooms while applying to colleges. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026 The joke around the proverbial water cooler goes that this is apparently the week all the bigwigs in lit world got together and decided to embrace their own destruction. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 Davis also grew up with another Outfit bigwig, Peter DiFronzo, and was known to go golfing and deep sea fishing with him, according to testimony from Davis’ 2015 trial. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026 Suspicions of possible ties to drug traffickers have long hung over Rocha Mayo, who was born in Badiraguato, the same mountainous municipality in Sinaloa that is the hometown of El Chapo and other cartel bigwigs. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bigwig
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bigwig
  1. heavyweight
  2. big
  3. heavy
  4. magnate
  5. tycoon
Noun
  • This comes after index heavyweight SK Hynix sank over 10% in Asian trade.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 13 July 2026
  • Its Virginia Payload Module gives it a large and well-defined cruise-missile capacity, while its torpedo tubes can launch Mk 48 heavyweight torpedoes.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 July 2026
Definition of heavyweight
Noun
  • Rushing has already endured several tests in his first full season in the bigs.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • Data show those players have about an 11% chance to reach the bigs (compared to about 81% for those picked in the first round).
    — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of big
Noun
  • Soon after Rhaenyra executes Otto Hightower, who was once mastermind of that family’s schemes, Ormund steps up to be the faction’s new heavy.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026
  • Shares of Meta are flat on the year, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 is up 18%.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Definition of heavy
Noun
  • San Luis Obispo county also boasts Hearst Castle, a state park once the mansion of the publishing magnate.
    — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
  • Real estate magnate Lee Miglin was discovered slain on May 4, 1997, in the garage of his Gold Coast home.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026
Definition of magnate
Noun
  • Six years after the law's introduction, many leading activists, including pro-democracy former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, were imprisoned under it.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
  • Hernando Courtright, the owner of the Beverly Hills Hotel in the 1940s, decided to display a silver trophy cup belonging to his polo-playing friend and oil tycoon Charles Wrightsman in the hotel’s restaurant.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
Definition of tycoon

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big wheels
bigwig
bigwigs
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Cite this Entry

“Bigwig.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bigwig. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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