big gun

noun

Definition of big gunnext
as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group for a high-profile case like this, the law firm uses only its big guns

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 big gun 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 Anthopoulos wants a big gun Obviously, the Braves are shopping to augment their starting rotation. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 18 Feb. 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 See All Example Sentences for big gun
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big gun
  1. heavyweight
  2. heavy
  3. big
  4. big wheel
  5. big boy
  6. big leaguer
  7. major leaguer
  8. heavy hitter
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
  • 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
  • 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
  • For all of its strengths, my one wish for the Weber Kettle is better wheel nuts holding the big wheels in place.
    — Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 17 May 2026
  • Denali versions aim for gloss, chrome, big wheels and illuminated badging, while the AT4 gets the tougher costume - 35-inch allou-terrain tires, red recovery hooks, extra ground clearance and a more trail-minded stance flavor.
    — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 6 May 2026
Definition of big wheel
Noun
  • Thibodeau is a big boy, and Dolan is still paying him a lot of money from that $30 million extension signed in the summer of 2024.
    — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 17 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of big boy
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
Definition of big leaguer
Noun
  • Now, his first game as a major leaguer in Philadelphia is set to be his biggest milestone yet.
    — Chilekasi Adele, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • Should move quickly, more polished than their peers, a certain major leaguer, et cetera, et cetera.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of major leaguer
Noun
  • This year’s heavy hitters include Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, OpenAI’s chief executive officer Sam Altman, Reel Genius founder Victoria Grazer and Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 10 July 2026
  • The Odyssey cast is stacked with heavy hitters, but only one actor evoked the type of reaction that Christopher Nolan hadn’t seen since Heath Ledger and The Dark Knight.
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
Definition of heavy hitter

Browse Nearby Words

biggish
big gun
big guns
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Cite this Entry

“Big gun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20gun. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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