Word forms: comparative bigger, superlative biggest
1. adjective
A big person or thing is large in physical size.
Australia's a big country.
Her husband was a big man.
The car was too big to fit into our garage.
Synonyms: large, great, huge, giant More Synonyms of big
2. adjective
Something that is big consists of many people or things.
The crowd included a big contingent from Ipswich.
...the big backlog of applications.
3. adjective
If you describe something such as a problem, increase, or change as a big one, you mean it is great in degree, extent, or importance.
The problem was just too big for her to tackle on her own.
There could soon be a big increase in unemployment.
Synonyms: important, serious, significant, grave More Synonyms of big
4. adjective
A big organization employs many people and has many customers.
Exchange is largely controlled by big banks.
...one of the biggest companies in Italy.
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
If you say that someone is bigin a particular organization, activity, or place, you mean that they have a lot of influence or authority in it.
[informal]
Their father was very big in the army. [+ in]
I'm sure all the big names will come to the club.
Synonyms: powerful, important, prime, principal More Synonyms of big
6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
If you call someone a big bully or a big coward, you are emphasizing your disapproval of them.
[informal, emphasis]
7. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Children often refer to their older brother or sister as their big brother or sister.
8. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Capital letters are sometimes referred to as big letters.
[informal]
...a big letter J.
9. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Big words are long or rare words which have meanings that are difficult to understand.
[informal]
They use a lot of big words.
Synonyms: difficult, long, learned, formal More Synonyms of big
10.
See make it big
11.
See to think big
12.
See in a big way
More Synonyms of big
big in British English1
(bɪɡ)
adjectiveWord forms: bigger or biggest
1.
of great or considerable size, height, weight, number, power, or capacity
2.
having great significance; important
a big decision
3.
important through having power, influence, wealth, authority, etc
the big four banks
4.
(intensifier usually qualifying something undesirable)
a big fool
5. informal
considerable in extent or intensity (esp in the phrase in a big way)
6.
a.
elder
my big brother
b.
grown-up
when you're big, you can stay up later
7.
a.
generous; magnanimous
that's very big of you
b.
(in combination)
big-hearted
8. (often foll by with)
brimming; full
my heart is big with sadness
9.
extravagant; boastful
he's full of big talk
10.
(of wine) full-bodied, with a strong aroma and flavour
11. too big for one's boots
12.
in an advanced stage of pregnancy (esp in the phrase big with child)
13. big on
adverb informal
14.
boastfully; pretentiously (esp in the phrase talk big)
15.
in an exceptional way; well
his talk went over big with the audience
16.
on a grand scale (esp in the phrase think big)
Derived forms
biggish (ˈbiggish)
adjective
bigness (ˈbigness)
noun
Word origin
C13: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian dialect bugge big man
big in British English2
(bɪɡ)
verbWord forms: bigs, bigging, bigged or bug (bʌɡ) Scottish
1.
to build
2.
to excavate (earth) into a pile
Word origin
from Old Norse byggja; related to Old English būian to inhabit
big in American English
(bɪg)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈbigger or ˈbiggest
1.
a.
of great size, extent, or capacity; large
b.
great in amount or quantity
c.
great in force or intensity
a big wind
2.
a.
full-grown
b.
elder
his big sister
3.
a.
far advanced in pregnancy (with)
b.
filled or swelling (with)
4.
loud
5.
a.
important or outstanding
to do big things
b.
very well known; famous
c.
popular; very well liked
6.
boastful; pompous; extravagant
big talk
7. US
generous; noble
a big heart
adverbWord forms: ˈbigger or ˈbiggest Informal
8.
pompously; boastfully; extravagantly
to talk big
9.
impressively
10.
in a broad way; showing imagination
think big!
SIMILAR WORDS: large
Derived forms
bigness (ˈbigness)
noun
Word origin
ME < Gmc *bugja, swollen up, thick (> bug2 & Norw dial. bugge, big man) < IE base *beu-, *bheu-, to blow up, swell > puck2, L bucca, puffed cheek
More idioms containing
big
give someone a big hand
the big guns
a big girl's blouse
a big fish in a small pond
a big fish
a big cheese
get too big for your boots
a big ask
carry a big stick
big time
hit the big time
a big wheel
Examples of 'big' in a sentence
big
Then it stopped being one of the big questions that people discussed about the books.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If you win that game it gives you the platform to go on and make bigger things.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There should also be a big increase in copper demand.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We are good enough and the club is big enough.
The Sun (2016)
Few expected him to succeed in winning approval to build a big mine beneath a national park.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those shoes are way too big to fill.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Lots of the big charities have online shops.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We are aiming to be a very big company.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It's one for a big night in.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These teams know that what most people consider the big prizes are beyond their scope.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There is one big flaw in her business plan.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There has been a big increase in shark sightings in the area in recent weeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It was big enough to walk around but you could always see the edges.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The money will help to fund building a bigger brewery.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We are going to be playing each other in a lot of big games.
The Sun (2012)
The fans had clearly turned in a big way.
The Sun (2012)
Fundraising then was principally about raising big money from a small number of major donors.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Prayer is a very big part of it.
Christianity Today (2000)
Most of the big banks now offer smartphone applications for checking your balance and making payments.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Like a big brother looking out for you.
The Sun (2014)
Suddenly we were experiencing great big steaks that were literally sizzling in front of you.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The hotels are rammed and many of the big sights are swamped.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Who knows what the big new thing will be?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We need to improve because this can be the biggest problem.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
So what we want to do is step away from that and think about a bigger life.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There is no need for one big talk.
The Sun (2014)
What if too big to fail also means too big to fight with?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Other energy switching sites insist that the majority of people make big savings after taking their advice.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They can make a big difference and we need to give them a better season than they had last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
That makes the Swedish firm the biggest furniture company in the world.
The Sun (2014)
Is ferry upset, because big athletics fan.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He's a big name and the crowd will be cheering so it gives us an extra boost.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Quotations
The bigger they come, the harder they fallRobert Fitzsimmons
In other languages
big
British English: big /bɪɡ/ ADJECTIVE
A person or thing that is big is large in size.
She lives in a big house.
American English: big
Arabic: كَبِير
Brazilian Portuguese: grande
Chinese: 大的
Croatian: velik
Czech: velký
Danish: stor
Dutch: groot
European Spanish: grande
Finnish: iso
French: grand taille
German: groß
Greek: μεγάλος
Italian: grande
Japanese: 大きい
Korean: 큰
Norwegian: stor
Polish: duży
European Portuguese: grande
Romanian: mare
Russian: большой
Latin American Spanish: grande
Swedish: stor
Thai: ใหญ่
Turkish: büyük
Ukrainian: великий
Vietnamese: to lớn
All related terms of 'big'
big C
→ cancer (sense 4 )
Big D
→ Dallas
big on
enthusiastic about
big up
to make important, prominent , or famous
Mr Big
the head of an organization, esp of a criminal organization
big bad
(esp in science fiction and online gaming) an evil and powerful adversary
Big Ben
the bell in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament , London
big box
a large open-plan retail outlet , usually located at the edge of a town or city
big bud
a serious disease of plants, esp of blackcurrants , in which the buds swell up as a result of attack by the gall mite Cecidophyopsis ribis
big cat
Big cats are lions , tigers , and other large wild animals in the cat family.
big end
the larger end of a connecting rod in an internal-combustion engine
big gun
If you refer to someone as a big gun , you mean that they have a lot of power or influence .
big lie, the
a gross falsification or misrepresentation of the facts, with constant repetition and embellishment to lend credibility
big one
a thousand dollars
Big Ten
a group of large universities, located chiefly in the Midwestern U.S., forming a league for intercollegiate sports
big toe
Your big toe is the largest toe on your foot.
big top
The large round tent that a circus uses for its performances is called the big top .
Big Apple
People sometimes refer to the city of New York as the Big Apple .
big area
An area is a particular part of a town, a country, a region, or the world.
big band
A big band is a large group of musicians who play jazz or dance music . Big bands were especially popular from the 1930s to the 1950s.
big bang
any sudden forceful beginning or radical change
big beast
an important or powerful person
big beat
an eclectic type of dance music in which heavy beats and samples are layered over the songs or instrumental tracks of other performers or bands
Big Board
the quotation board in the New York Stock Exchange
big-boned
having bones that are unusually massive
big bucks
large quantities of money
big chain
A chain of shops, hotels , or other businesses is a number of them owned by the same person or company.
big Chief
an important person, boss , or leader
big city
The big city is used to refer to a large city which seems attractive to someone because they think there are many exciting things to do there, and many opportunities to earn a lot of money .
Big Daddy
someone or something dominantly important , powerful , wealthy , or, often, paternalistic
big data
Big data is extremely large amounts of information that can only be used with special computers .
big deal
If you say that something is a big deal , you mean that it is important or significant in some way .
Big Easy
the → New Orleans
Big Eight
→ the Big Eight
big fish
If you describe someone as a big fish , you believe that they are powerful or important in some way .
Big Five
the five countries considered to be the major world powers. In the period immediately following World War II, the US, Britain, the Soviet Union, China , and France were regarded as the Big Five
Big Four
→ the Big Four
big game
Large wild animals such as lions and elephants that are hunted for sport are often referred to as big game .
big hair
a hairstyle with volume created by hair products or styling techniques such as backcombing , etc
big head
If you describe someone as a big head , you disapprove of them because they think they are very clever and know everything.
big house, the
a penitentiary
big idea
An idea is a plan , suggestion , or possible course of action.
Big Issue
→ the Big Issue
big money
Big money is an amount of money that seems very large to you, especially money which you get easily .
big mouth
If you say that someone is a big mouth or that they have a big mouth, you mean that they tell other people things that should have been kept secret .
big name
A big name is a person who is successful and famous because of their work.
big news
News is information about a recently changed situation or a recent event.
big night
an important and usually anticipated evening
big noise
Someone who is a big noise has an important position in a group or organization.