big

adj

1. Of great size, large.

   “Elephants are big animals, and they eat a lot.”

   “The big houses, and there are a good many of them, lie for the most part in what may be called by courtesy the valleys. You catch a glimpse of them sometimes at a little distance from the [railway] line,[…], with their court of farm and church and clustered village, in dignified seclusion.”

   “Out of the 484 Utah water systems that reported data in 2024, only 66 fluoridated their water, an Associated Press analysis showed. The largest was the state’s biggest city, Salt Lake City.”

2. (informal)Of great size, large.

   “Gosh, she is big!”

3. (figuratively, sometimes)Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce.

   “She was big with child.”

   “The Dawn is over-caſt, the Morning low’rs, And heavily in Clouds brings on the Day, The great, th’ important Day; big with the Fate Of Cato and of Rome.”

4. (informal)Well-endowed; with a desired body part notably large.
5. (informal)Well-endowed; with a desired body part notably large.

   “I'm the shortest man on the team but in the gym shower everyone can see that I'm also the biggest.”

6. (informal)Well-endowed; with a desired body part notably large.

   “I've been lifting weights for a full year now, but I'm finally getting big.”

7. (informal)Adult; (of a child) older.

   “Kids should get help from big people if they want to use the kitchen.”

   “We were just playing, and then some big kids came and chased us away.”

   “She did it all on her own like a big girl.”

   “By midnight, however, the last light had fled / For even big people have then gone to bed[.]”

   “Uh oh ... that looks like one of those things the big people don't want us to touch, Marvin!”

8. (informal, rare, slang)Adult; (of a child) older.

   “I don't think so, if you're shouting at people across the playground at your big age.”

9. (informal)Mature, conscientious, principled; generous.

   “That's very big of you; thank you!”

   “I tried to be the bigger person and just let it go, but I couldn't help myself.”

   “So the bloke says, 'Fine, that's real big of you, much appreciated,' and off he goes with Big John back to Ferrari's.”

10. (informal)Important or significant.

    “What's so big about that? I do it all the time.”

    “"I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal. I never did that. I always made up my mind I'd be a big man some day, and—I'm glad I didn't steal."”

    “The great game of golf offered an antidote to the inevitable dead space — blocks of difficult-to-use hours, pre- and postflight — that are one of business travel’s biggest drags.”

    “It proved a big miss as Hoilett produced a sublime finish into the top corner of the net from 20 yards after evading a couple of challenges in first-half stoppage time.”

    “"It's not about having a catchy strap line, it's about 'why do I come to work every day?' Am I just here to go 'your train is over there'? Or am I here to really influence that person's journey and therefore the perception of the organisation we're working for? There is a bigger picture to this - and that ultimately is what will keep people using our service."”

11. Popular.

    “That style is very big right now in Europe, especially among teenagers.”

    “Big in Japan, alright, pay then I'll sleep by your side / Things are easy when you're big in Japan”

12. Populous.
13. (informal)Used as an intensifier, especially of negative-valence nouns

    “You are a big liar.  Why are you in such a big hurry?”

    “The little suggestions of look and tone; the easy fibs and bigger lies; the tricks of persuasion, the onleading wiles — all these I could not master.”

    “Why is it whenever I'm in a big hurry he's always in a big slow?”

14. (capitalized, humorous, often, sometimes)Operating on a large scale, especially if therefore having undue or sinister influence.

    “big money”

    “Big Tech, Big Steel”

    “Big Science”

    “There were concerns about the ethics of big pharma.”

    “Why are you so enthusiastic about putting cantaloupe in your smoothie? Did Big Melon buy you off? [humorous]”

15. (informal)Enthusiastic (about).

    “Neville is big on standing by his principles and he deserves plaudits for acknowledging he got his starting system wrong, reverting to 4-2-3-1 and introducing Kirby in the No 10 role.”

    “I'm not big on the idea, but if you want to go ahead with it, I won't stop you.”

adv

1. In a loud manner.
2. In a boasting manner.

   “He's always talking big, but he never delivers.”

3. In a large amount or to a large extent.

   “He won big betting on the croquet championship.”

   “Don't miss our November sale — it's your last chance to save big before Christmas!”

   “According to the Digital Marketing Institute, influencer marketing campaigns are paying off big for brands, generating roughly $5.78 for every dollar spent.”

4. (informal)In a large amount or to a large extent.

   “I've always been big into sport, but I'm especially big into football.”

5. On a large scale, expansively.

   “You've got to think big to succeed at Amalgamated Plumbing.”

   “'You've got to put it over big,' he was saying in a loud nasal voice.”

6. (colloquial)Hard; with great force.

   “He hit him big and the guy just crumpled.”

noun

1. Someone or something that is large in stature.

   “You could throw out everything else, but I had the speed to split double-teams. Like, go at double-teams numerous times in a possession, on consecutive possessions where I'm testing your endurance, your bigs.”

2. An important or powerful person; a celebrity; a big name.
3. (in-plural)The big leagues, big time.

   “In the Appalachian League, where Cal Ripken once played in Bluefield, W.Va., a ballplayer's chances of making it to the bigs are less than one in six.”

4. An initiated member of a sorority or fraternity who acts as a mentor to a new member (the little).

   “He was there the night of Cristoph's party. All the littles were assigned to their bigs. Ian and Christoph had rushed the same fraternity. When they became upperclassmen, they both ended up on the board.”

   “She added that the relationship between bigs and littles is "what each pair makes of it," and that a lot of the pairs often get dinner together and become close friends.”

   “Some traditions of the chapter include lineages with bigs and littles, receiving of paddles from a big, and a national stroll, Wolsch-Gallia said.”

5. The participant in age roleplay who acts out the older role.
6. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, uncountable)One or more kinds of barley, especially six-rowed barley.
7. A biological insulation garment; an air-tight, full-body suit intended to prevent the spread of contaminants.

verb

1. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, transitive)To inhabit; occupy.
2. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, reflexive)To locate oneself.
3. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, transitive)To build; erect; fashion.
4. (Northern-England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, intransitive)To dwell; have a dwelling.

phrase

1. (abbreviation, alt-of)Abbreviation of business is a game.