as in heavyweight
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big shot
Noun
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Although made with recycled Hanna-Barbera cartoons and tiny budgets, Adult Swim shows competed with late-night heavyweights David Letterman and Jay Leno among 18-to-34-year-old men and won over sponsors.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026 -
Other music heavyweights joining Charli XCX and Lorde as headliners include Tate McRae, Blackpink star Jennie and Grammy-winning songstress Olivia Dean.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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How the Script Walks a Tonal Tightrope Radcliffe credited playwrights Macmillan and Donahoe with building a structure that lets the performer pivot rapidly between the heavy and the silly.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
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Unlike, say, Mexican or South Asian cuisines, American food is not particularly bean-heavy.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Johnnies were led by 18 points a piece from bigs Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins, and a 14-point effort from guard Oziyah Sellers.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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Even their bigs handle the ball like guards.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Bruins coach Marco Sturm made some pretty sizable line changes to start the game, plugging in rookie center Minten between David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie to try and coax more production out of his big guns.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
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The team needs that supporting cast clicking at the same time as big guns to create more sustained pressure.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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More Coloradans are seeing the big wheel spin in their favor each year.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 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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Will the Niners spend like big boys and sign Hendrickson, Linderbaum and JFM?—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
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Only little boys are called big boys.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The film was up against heavy hitters F1, Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
15 Mar. 2026
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But outside of those heavy hitters, the South is home to thousands of destinations that get far less attention but are worthy of our time all the same.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That was a gift from former Indy ball teammate and ex-big leaguer Matt Adams.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Big shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20shot. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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