bigger; biggest
1
a
: large or great in dimensions, bulk, or extent
a big house
also
: large or great in quantity, number, or amount
a big fleet
b
: operating on a large scale
big government
c
of a letter
: capital sense 1
2
a
: filled with or characterized by enthusiasm and interest
I'm a big fan of soy foods but urge you to choose them wisely.—
Andrew Weil
: active and enthusiastic
Andrew WeilMy mother is a big baker, and so was my grandmother …—Melissa Parks
Melissa ParksI'm not a big shopper, so for me to actually like a store is really saying something.—Matt Cameron
Matt Cameron
b
: expressed in an enthusiastic or unrestrained way : hearty
greeted me with a big hug
3
a
: chief, preeminent
the big issue of the campaign
b
: of great importance or significance
the big moment
c
: magnanimous, generous
was big about it
d
: outstandingly worthy or able
a truly big man
e
: imposing, pretentious
using big words
also
: marked by or given to boasting
big talk
4
informal
: more advanced in age : older
my big brother
: more mature
His teachers all told me he was excited about riding the bus, feeling like a big boy now.—Laurie Frey
Laurie Frey5
: popular
soft drinks are very big in Mexico—Russ Leadabrand
Russ Leadabrand6
a
: of great force
a big storm
b
obsolete
: of great strength
Sir Launcelot was big and strong again.—Thomas Malory
Thomas Malory7
8
: full-bodied and flavorful
—used of wine
bigly
adverb
bigness
noun
1
a
: to a large amount or extent
won big
b
: on a large scale
think big
2
: in a loud or declamatory manner
also
: in a boasting manner
talk big
3
: hard
hits her forehand big
1
: an individual or organization of outstanding importance or power
2
basketball, informal
: a big player : a center or forward whose large size and strength are used to control play near the basket
But, the problem is that you MUST have guards. You can't play five bigs.—Martin Manley
Martin Manley
Phrases
big on
: strongly favoring or liking
also
: noted for
she is big on blushing —Arnold Hano
Arnold Hano 
Synonyms
Adjective
- consequential
- earth-shattering
- earthshaking
- eventful
- historic
- important
- major
- material
- meaningful
- momentous
- monumental
- much
- significant
- substantial
- tectonic
- weighty
Noun
- big boy
- big cheese
- big gun
- big leaguer
- big shot
- big wheel
- big-timer
- bigfoot
- biggie
- bigwig
- fat cat
- heavy
- heavy hitter
- heavyweight
- high-muck-a-muck
- high-muckety-muck
- honcho
- kahuna
- kingfish
- kingpin
- major leaguer
- muckety-muck
- muck-a-muck
- mucky-muck
- nabob
- nawab
- nibs
- nob [chiefly British]
- pooh-bah
- poo-bah
- wheel
Examples of big in a Sentence
Adjective
a big glass of soda
She moved to a bigger city.
the biggest city in the state
He led a big group through the museum.
She works for a big company.
He organized a big advertising campaign.
We had a big fund-raiser for the school.
Adverb
He talks big about his plans, but he hasn't done much yet.
Noun
with that new promotion he's now one of the bigs in the company
the big story that year was the election of the president
See More
Recent Examples on the WebSusan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
MasterClass is kicking off its big Black Friday promotion with a 50 percent off deal and a new celebrity instructor.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023
His dedication to each song has meant artists have sought him out for bigger projects.
—Elsa Cavazos, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2023
But to be fair, that was before a name as big as Scorsese made an equally weighty effort to learn from and collaborate with a Native community, instead of entering Indian country with no relationship to the locals and leaving the same way.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023
New wildcard contestant Cuddle Monster — The Masked Singer’s biggest and furriest costume ever — closed out the competition.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
Even before Biden and Xi met, there were some signs of a thaw: The State Department on Tuesday announced that the U.S. and China — two of the world’s biggest polluters — had agreed to pursue efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030, through wind, solar and other renewables.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023
The single biggest risk for having a child with syphilis, according to the report, was simply living in a county where syphilis rates are high—and that covers 38 percent of them in the US, and 72 percent of the national population.
—WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023
My Everything Shower also makes up for any and all laziness in the grooming department before a big event.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023
Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2023
In his first week with the Lakers, he’s already come up big in a scrimmage, hitting a deep three for a winner in one period of play.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Conservatorium Hotel This high-end option housed a former music conservatory that’s right by the Van Gogh Museum, Conservatorium Hotel comes up big in both the location and aesthetics department.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2023
The sophomore quarterback came up big in the clutch to lead Decatur Central to a 43-42 win over New Palestine.
—Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Aug. 2023
Anthony Edwards comes up big in second half The U.S. trailed 38-37 at halftime, and Anthony Edwards, who led the U.S. in scoring in the first round of group play with 16.3 points per game, was scoreless in the first half.
—Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Jake Oettinger came up big in the shootout by keeping Vegas off the board while Roope Hintz scored the only shootout goal.
—Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, 10 Apr. 2023
Jones stepped up big again, scoring 37 points while Russell grabbed 29 rebounds and had eight assists in the 110-109 win.
—Conor Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2023
The Heat’s remarkable run was in part fueled by role players coming up big in the playoffs.
—oregonlive, 4 July 2023
Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 5 July 2023
Wood could serve as a second-unit big who can run the floor and score.
—Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023
However, while the Diamondbacks get a legitimate closer, the Mariners are getting some utility guys and a top 30 prospect who has already seen the bigs in Canzone.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
Indiana forward/center Trayce Jackson-Davis is a skilled big with defensive versatility, and the 23-year-old could be a good option for the Celtics.
—Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023
Landale was a more versatile backup big for Ayton than the veteran Bismack Biyombo, who's on an expiring one-year deal alongside Lee, on both ends of the floor.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 14 May 2023
For Heyward, 34, the personal victories in his 14th season in the bigs have come in the small moments.
—Scott Miller, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2023
For Phoenix, Ayton averages the majority of his points off pick and rolls and is one of the best midrange shooting bigs in the paint or midrange for floaters off those plays.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2023
Throughout our conversation, the 65-year-old Flash bigs up his home borough, expressing pride that the whole world is celebrating the Bronx as the home of hip-hop.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2023
See More
Adjective
The inflated price of gas or a gallon of milk seems like a bigger problem for Biden than his decision to stick with America’s decades-old military backing of Israel.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
MasterClass is kicking off its big Black Friday promotion with a 50 percent off deal and a new celebrity instructor.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023
His dedication to each song has meant artists have sought him out for bigger projects.
—Elsa Cavazos, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2023
But to be fair, that was before a name as big as Scorsese made an equally weighty effort to learn from and collaborate with a Native community, instead of entering Indian country with no relationship to the locals and leaving the same way.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023
New wildcard contestant Cuddle Monster — The Masked Singer’s biggest and furriest costume ever — closed out the competition.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
Even before Biden and Xi met, there were some signs of a thaw: The State Department on Tuesday announced that the U.S. and China — two of the world’s biggest polluters — had agreed to pursue efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030, through wind, solar and other renewables.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023
The single biggest risk for having a child with syphilis, according to the report, was simply living in a county where syphilis rates are high—and that covers 38 percent of them in the US, and 72 percent of the national population.
—WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023
My Everything Shower also makes up for any and all laziness in the grooming department before a big event.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023
Adverb
The Lakers and the Suns put together a classic, led by James and Durant, with plenty of Lakers role players coming up big in key moments in a 122-119 win to end a three-game losing streak and earn L.A. its first road win of the season.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2023
In his first week with the Lakers, he’s already come up big in a scrimmage, hitting a deep three for a winner in one period of play.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Conservatorium Hotel This high-end option housed a former music conservatory that’s right by the Van Gogh Museum, Conservatorium Hotel comes up big in both the location and aesthetics department.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2023
The sophomore quarterback came up big in the clutch to lead Decatur Central to a 43-42 win over New Palestine.
—Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Aug. 2023
Anthony Edwards comes up big in second half The U.S. trailed 38-37 at halftime, and Anthony Edwards, who led the U.S. in scoring in the first round of group play with 16.3 points per game, was scoreless in the first half.
—Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Jake Oettinger came up big in the shootout by keeping Vegas off the board while Roope Hintz scored the only shootout goal.
—Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, 10 Apr. 2023
Jones stepped up big again, scoring 37 points while Russell grabbed 29 rebounds and had eight assists in the 110-109 win.
—Conor Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2023
The Heat’s remarkable run was in part fueled by role players coming up big in the playoffs.
—oregonlive, 4 July 2023
Noun
Other bigs coming in include Stevenson, Nelson, Sam Walters and Mouhamed Dioubate.
—Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 5 July 2023
Wood could serve as a second-unit big who can run the floor and score.
—Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2023
However, while the Diamondbacks get a legitimate closer, the Mariners are getting some utility guys and a top 30 prospect who has already seen the bigs in Canzone.
—Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
Indiana forward/center Trayce Jackson-Davis is a skilled big with defensive versatility, and the 23-year-old could be a good option for the Celtics.
—Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023
Landale was a more versatile backup big for Ayton than the veteran Bismack Biyombo, who's on an expiring one-year deal alongside Lee, on both ends of the floor.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 14 May 2023
For Heyward, 34, the personal victories in his 14th season in the bigs have come in the small moments.
—Scott Miller, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2023
For Phoenix, Ayton averages the majority of his points off pick and rolls and is one of the best midrange shooting bigs in the paint or midrange for floaters off those plays.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 4 May 2023
Throughout our conversation, the 65-year-old Flash bigs up his home borough, expressing pride that the whole world is celebrating the Bronx as the home of hip-hop.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'big.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Adverb, and Noun
Middle English, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect bugge important man
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6b
Adverb
1568, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun
1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of big was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing big
Dictionary Entries Near big
Cite this Entry
“Big.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
big
1 of 2 adjective
bigger; biggest
1
: of great force
a big storm
2
a
: large in size, bulk, or extent
a big house
big government
a big city
b
: large in number or amount
a big fleet
big money
c
: capital entry 1 sense 2
big letters
3
: of great importance
my big chance
a big star in movies
4
: being older
my big sister
bigness
noun
big
2 of 2 adverb1
: in a big way
win big
2
: so as to boast
talk big
More from Merriam-Webster on big
Nglish: Translation of big for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of big for Arabic Speakers
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