as in heavyweight
one of high position or importance within a group
thinks he's a big cheese just because he's got a business card
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Recent Examples of big cheese
But a big cheese board affords the chance for people to try something new.
—
Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
But a big cheese board affords the chance for people to try something new.
—Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Simply Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs These light-colored curls have big cheese flavor, a satisfying crunch and a tart kick that is dangerously delicious.
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
So for decades only accredited scholars, the occasional journalist and big cheeses got to see inside.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023
Following a voting process, this international cut of designers aged under 40 will be whittled down to a final few before the winners are selected by a panel of the conglomerate’s key designers and c-suite big cheeses some time in the summer.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2023
All is fair in love and big cheese.
—Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 2 Feb. 2023
Bob Iger is back as the House of Mouse’s big cheese.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2022
Una Pizza Napoletana is truly the big cheese: Anthony Mangieri’s Lower East Side pizza joint was just named the best pizzeria in the United States by the 50 Top Pizza organization.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 June 2022
Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
But a big cheese board affords the chance for people to try something new.
—Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Simply Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs These light-colored curls have big cheese flavor, a satisfying crunch and a tart kick that is dangerously delicious.
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 4 June 2024
So for decades only accredited scholars, the occasional journalist and big cheeses got to see inside.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023
Following a voting process, this international cut of designers aged under 40 will be whittled down to a final few before the winners are selected by a panel of the conglomerate’s key designers and c-suite big cheeses some time in the summer.
—Luke Leitch, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2023
All is fair in love and big cheese.
—Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 2 Feb. 2023
Bob Iger is back as the House of Mouse’s big cheese.
—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2022
Una Pizza Napoletana is truly the big cheese: Anthony Mangieri’s Lower East Side pizza joint was just named the best pizzeria in the United States by the 50 Top Pizza organization.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big cheese
Noun
-
Wingard’s sequel is a bit more abstract than its predecessor, focusing too much on strange world-building and too little on the battle between our two beloved heavies.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
8 May 2025
-
Harry heads back to the yard, where a group of Kevin's Czechoslovakian hired heavies are preparing for war.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
All season long, New York has struggled to contain stretch bigs.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
21 May 2025
-
In his absence, Kornet dominated the paint, finally tilting the floor back toward the Celtics when the Knicks deployed two bigs; a lineup that had been dogging Boston in this series.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
There are big guns, big swords and, by the sound of it, a whole lot of crazy.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
27 May 2025
-
But that enemy once again includes potentially large numbers of North Koreans, as well as their big guns and missile launchers.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This whole situation in the industry is like a big boy's club...—
EW.com,
EW.com,
13 May 2025
-
Woll good but big boys completely invisible, yet again.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
11 May 2025
Noun
-
There was a man riding a toddler’s big wheel with a 40-ounce malt liquor bottle in one hand, and a woman wearing just a torn T-shirt was cursing up a storm.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
26 May 2025
-
Off-road vehicles need to be boxy, tall and large with big wheels and specialized tires -- these are terrible for range.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Photographed by Huy Luong The bride learned of this ritual while searching for ways to incorporate Chinese traditions into her wedding beyond lion dancers at her banquet.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
22 May 2025
-
Tigers, lions, even elephants were showing signs of trauma from hearing gunfire and helicopters nearby.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Take Lincoln Park, home to some perennial heavy hitters like Boka and Alinea, or the James Beard Award–winning farm-to-table favorite Lula Cafe in Logan Square.—
Kristin Braswell,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 May 2025
-
She's collaborated with heavy hitters like Mark Ronson, Fiona Apple, and Perfume Genius, and contributed music to projects like Netflix's Arcane and Adventure Time: Distant Lands.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Big cheese.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big%20cheese. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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