big-time 1 of 2

adverb

Definition of big-timenext
as in highly
to a large extent or degree wow, those renovations improved the library big-time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

big time

2 of 2

noun

-ˌtīm How to pronounce big time (audio)
as in big(s)
the highest level of a field of endeavor the young ad execs knew that their agency had hit the big time when major corporations came calling

Synonyms & Similar Words

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-time
Adverb
The Stars’ history with their big-time 30-somethings Robertson will be 27 next year. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026 But his relationship as a big-time donor to Trojan athletics really began in 1998, when USC was desperate to build a new practice field for new football coach Paul Hackett. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Noun
The Iberians slipped up big time in their first match of the tournament, being shocked by Switzerland 1-0, bringing back ghosts of tournament failures past for Spanish fans. — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 14 July 2026 Miles escapes, but the events of that night will come back big time. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for big-time
Recent Examples of Synonyms for big-time
  1. highly
  2. much
  3. greatly
  4. considerably
  5. utterly
  6. significantly
  7. tremendously
  8. massively
Adverb
  • Giorgio Armani was highly involved in all aspects of this project.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The result is clouds of both coal dust and highly toxic silica dust.
    — Howard Berkes, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of highly
Adverb
  • Coming out with any new car can typically cost a major company around $2 billion, but the research and development to bring such an inexpensive EV to the market has taken much more than that.
    — Michael Ballaban, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • A little focus will make your natural sparkle much easier to trust.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of much
Adverb
  • Reports of Usher’s replication have been greatly exaggerated.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Aug. 2026
  • These had declined sharply over the last few years, as employer hiring had greatly diminished.
    — Harry Holzer, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of greatly
Adverb
  • And while enough baseball (and IL time) has happened since then to dim Mayer’s star considerably, there’s enough promise left in him to get Law riled up about the trade.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Tidwell won’t be the only young player getting considerably more run over the next two months.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of considerably
Adverb
  • Representations of pregnant bodies were utterly transformed in the thirty years following Moore’s famous cover.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • His factory boss, aware of Shigejiro’s situation at home, applauded his utterly straightforward personality and indeed even raised his salary.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of utterly
Adverb
  • Bringing in the Frenchman would certainly be a statement signing, and significantly boost an attacking line that is depleted following the exit of Mohamed Salah and the long-term loss of Hugo Ekitike to injury.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Walker-Yeager, who ran on abolishing or significantly reducing residents and seniors’ property tax burdens, historic preservation and increasing the state minimum wage, had 124 votes.
    — Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of significantly
Adverb
  • Gary hasn’t been tremendously present around the Raiders since Klint got the job — this was his first public appearance at a practice.
    — Sam Warren, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The owner, who Koopmans says has a much bigger yacht and is tremendously experienced on the water, plans to operate the Zeelander 5 without a crew.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of tremendously
Adverb
  • The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC spent $2 million to oust Ogles in Tennessee’s 5th District, massively outspending both Ogles and his opponent, former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher.
    — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Key Points Five Nights at Freddy’s is based on the massively popular horror video game franchise of the same name.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of massively

Browse Nearby Words

big-ticket
big-time
big time
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Big-time.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/big-time. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All