as in heavyweights
one of high position or importance within a group
interviewed by several bigwigs on the hospital's staff
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Recent Examples of bigwigs
The race for artificial intelligence supremacy has pitted Silicon Valley bigwigs against Washington policymakers and Chinese competitors.
—
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
The business of sports is on full display in Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum’s annual shindig for bigwigs kicked off earlier this week.
—Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Elsewhere on the black and gold carpet outside the Ray Dolby Ballroom on Sunday night, Hollywood bigwigs such as Sydney Sweeney, Kate Hudson and Zoey Deutch brought golden age glamour with sophisticated updos and curly bobs.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 17 Nov. 2025
So was the mayor, alongside other local bigwigs.
—Chase Jordan
updated November 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2025
Other Party bigwigs expressed disappointment, too, from the progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to the milquetoast Democratic National Committee leader Ken Martin.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Sharon and Expectation met with then BBC content boss Charlotte Moore and other bigwigs at the British public broadcaster, and Home to Roost was set up as a ten-part BBC series that would follow the return home.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Connect with people on every level, from team members to bigwigs.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
The bigwigs at Paramount reluctantly accepted him at a very reduced salary.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
The business of sports is on full display in Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum’s annual shindig for bigwigs kicked off earlier this week.
—Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Elsewhere on the black and gold carpet outside the Ray Dolby Ballroom on Sunday night, Hollywood bigwigs such as Sydney Sweeney, Kate Hudson and Zoey Deutch brought golden age glamour with sophisticated updos and curly bobs.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 17 Nov. 2025
So was the mayor, alongside other local bigwigs.
—Chase Jordan
updated November 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2025
Other Party bigwigs expressed disappointment, too, from the progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to the milquetoast Democratic National Committee leader Ken Martin.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
Sharon and Expectation met with then BBC content boss Charlotte Moore and other bigwigs at the British public broadcaster, and Home to Roost was set up as a ten-part BBC series that would follow the return home.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
Connect with people on every level, from team members to bigwigs.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
The bigwigs at Paramount reluctantly accepted him at a very reduced salary.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bigwigs
Noun
-
Starpower is a currency that goes a long way, as brands race to claim Hollywood heavyweights and hot young things, curating an envoy of beautiful, young, relevant people who are said to represent the brand’s interests and values.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2026
-
While Outdoor Voices struggled to compete with apparel heavyweights like Lululemon, Haney spent her time elsewhere.—
Alexandra York,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Guards, bigs, everybody just has to rebound, box out and just run.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Jan. 2026
-
But going through opposing bigs to get to the cup is never going to be his specialty.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Paramount executive also became president of the American Motion Picture Association (precursor to the MPA) in 1925, beating out the likes of Marcus Loew, Lasky, William Fox, Hays, Sam Rothafel, Sam Katz, Carl Laemmle, Joseph Schenck, and other Hollywood heavies.—
Chris Yogerst,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Kier’s American career centered around playing heavies.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Russia sold billions of dollars in weapons to the Venezuela army, from tanks and aircraft to air defense missiles, and Russian oil tycoons invested in Venezuelan oil fields.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Amidst all those tech tycoons, luxury’s biggest name sits at seventh in the billionaire rankings.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
During the 2021 recall fight, Newsom also attracted high-profile billionaire support from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, and agribusiness magnates Stewart and Lynda Resnick.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Jan. 2026
-
In Season 2, Cross is in pursuit of a ruthless vigilante who is hunting down corrupt billionaire magnates.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bigwigs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bigwigs. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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