big

BIG/bɪɡ/

Adjectivebigger, biggest

Noun pluralbigs

Adverbbigger, biggest

27 meanings of big

Practice

1
largeadjective
Of great physical size; large in dimensions or amount.
The movers struggled to fit the big sofa through the doorway.
Construction crews cleared a big stretch of forest for the new highway.
UsageSpelled with a double g in bigger and biggest.
Similarlarge, huge, massive, great, immense
Oppositesmall, little, tiny, miniature
2
importantadjective
Important or significant in its effect or consequence.
The merger marked a big turning point for the entire industry.
Today's verdict raises some big questions about how the law will be applied.
UsageCommon in a big decision, a big deal and no big deal, meaning it does not matter much.
Similarimportant, crucial, critical, key, significant
Oppositeminor, small, trivial, insignificant
3
adjectivecolloquial
Used to intensify a following noun, especially one with a negative meaning.
He's a big show-off whenever the cameras are around.
The whole plan turned into a big mess within a week.
UsageBefore a noun, it shows degree, not size: a big fan, a big mistake, in a big hurry.
Similarreal, total, complete, huge
Note
Here the word measures how much of a quality is present, not how much space anything takes up. A big liar lies boldly, and a big hurry is an urgent one. Tom Armstrong's Marvin comic (2007) plays on the habit by answering "a big hurry" with an invented "a big slow." The joke works only because the intensifier is so automatic.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
Tom Armstrong’s Marvin comic used the contrast between “a big hurry” and “a big slow” in 2007; Wiktionary dates the strip to 8 August 2007. en.wiktionary.org
4
popularadjective
Widely liked or in fashion; popular.
The band got big after their song went viral online.
Spicy noodles are big across college campuses this year.
UsageUsually after the verb, often with in or with: big in Japan, big with teenagers, big right now.
Similarpopular, famous, hot, trendy
Oppositeunpopular
Note
Popularity tied to a place or a crowd: big in Europe, big among teenagers. Alphaville's 1984 song "Big in Japan" turns the pattern into a refrain.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Alphaville's song “Big in Japan” was released in 1984. alphaville.earth
The phrase “big in Japan” forms a refrain in the song. en.wikipedia.org
5
too powerfuladjectivehumorous
Operating on a very large scale, especially in a way that wields undue or sinister influence.
Campaigners accused big pharma of inflating prices to protect its profits.
The documentary argued that big agriculture quietly shapes farming laws in its favor.
UsagePut before the name of an industry: Big Tech, Big Oil, big pharma; the tone is usually suspicious or wry.
Note
A label for a whole industry imagined as one powerful bloc: Big Tech, Big Steel, Big Science, big pharma. New coinages follow the same pattern: Big plus the name of a field.
6
adjectivecolloquial
Greatly enthusiastic about something.
Our manager is big on punctuality and expects everyone in early.
Travelers who are big on local food skip the tourist restaurants.
UsageUsed with on: big on punctuality. Not big on is a gentle way to say you don't much like something.
Similarenthusiastic, eager, keen, avid, ardent
7
top levelnounplural
The top tier of competition or success; the big leagues or big time.
The young pitcher got called up to the bigs this season.
Breaking into the bigs takes years of grinding through lower divisions.
UsageUsed as the bigs, as in make it to the bigs or get called up to the bigs.
Similarmajors
Oppositeminors
Note
Michelle Boorstein, writing in 2004 about the Appalachian League, puts a ballplayer's chances of making it there at less than one in six. It stands for the big leagues and carries the same sense of a long climb.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Michelle Boorstein wrote the cited article in 2004. washingtonpost.com
Boorstein reported that Appalachian League players had less than a one-in-six chance of reaching the big leagues. en.wiktionary.org
8
adjective
Having a large population; populous.
The nation's biggest city holds nearly a third of its population, and housing there is hard to find.
It is a big city, home to nearly nine million people.
Similarlarge, populous
Oppositesmall
9
adverb
To a great extent or on a large scale, including in an ambitious or expansive manner.
The startup gambled on the new product and it paid off big.
Fans turned out big for the championship parade downtown.
UsageTakes no -ly and usually comes right after the verb: win big, save big, pay off big.
Similarhugely, massively

Less common meanings

10
grown-upadjectivecolloquial
Grown-up or older, especially of a child compared with a younger one.
He's a big boy now and walks to school on his own.
Her big sister always looks out for her at the playground.
UsageBig sister and big brother mean older, not larger; you're a big girl now can praise growing independence or urge more grown-up behavior.
Similarolder, elder
Oppositelittle, younger
Note
A child's-eye sense, in which size stands in for age. Big people are grown-ups, big kids are the older ones who chase you off, and a big girl manages something on her own. Robert L. May uses big people this way in his draft of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1939), for the grown-ups already asleep late at night. Its natural opposite is little, as in little kids.
11
nounrarecountable
An important or powerful person; a celebrity or notable figure.
Network bigs flew in from New York to watch the pilot screening.
Studio bigs met behind closed doors to settle the dispute.
Similarbigwig, heavyweight, star, celebrity
12
adjectivecolloquial
Of a person: large in build, heavy, or very muscular.
He had grown big over the winter and needed new clothes.
The wrestler was a big guy with a thick, powerful build.
UsageOften a kinder word than fat; a big guy may be heavy, tall or muscular.
Similarlarge, heavy, hefty, burly, brawny
Oppositesmall, slight, skinny
13
graciousadjectivecolloquial
Mature and principled in conduct; generous toward others.
Forgiving his rival took a big heart and real maturity.
She was big enough to admit her mistake in front of everyone.
UsageCommon in it's big of you to + verb, big enough to admit it, and be the bigger person.
Similargenerous, magnanimous, gracious
Oppositepetty, mean, small
Note
Joe Pieri's book The Big Men has "that's real big of you, much appreciated," and the same words can thank or needle depending on how they are said.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Joe Pieri's book The Big Men contains the words “that's real big of you, much appreciated.” en.wiktionary.org
14
keen onadverbcolloquial
To a large extent; used to intensify a following preposition such as 'into' or 'on'.
He's been big into competitive chess since college.
My nephew got big into baking sourdough during his first year of college.
UsageUsually after be or get: is big into chess, got big into baking.
Similargreatly, hugely, massively
Note
It turns the preposition's sense of involvement into strong enthusiasm, which makes it a close cousin of the "enthusiastic" adjective.
15
adverb
In a boastful manner; so as to brag.
The rookie talked big in the locker room, promising a championship by spring.
They talk big about their plans, yet nothing ever gets started.
UsageMostly in talk big, as in talks big but rarely delivers.
Similarboastfully
Oppositemodestly
16
nouncountable
A person or thing notably large in stature.
The coach sent in a big to guard the basket.
Among the bigs on the team, he had the longest reach.
Note
In basketball talk, the large players a team can throw at an opponent are its bigs. Derrick Rose, in I'll Show You (2019), describes attacking double-teams possession after possession to wear down "your endurance, your bigs."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Derrick Rose's I'll Show You was first published in 2019; Sam Smith shares the author credit. api.pageplace.de
Rose describes repeatedly attacking double-teams on successive possessions, using the exact words "your endurance, your bigs." api.pageplace.de
17
well endowedadjectivecolloquial
Having a notably large penis; well-endowed.
Locker-room gossip insisted he was big, and he never tried to deny it.
She had heard he was big, and that first night confirmed the rumors.
Similarwell-endowed, hung
18
large breastsadjectivecolloquial
Having large breasts; big-breasted.
She'd always been big up top, so finding a sports bra with real support took some searching.
The dress flattered her, even though she was quite big on top.
Similarbusty, buxom, bosomy, chesty, stacked
Oppositeflat-chested
19
loudlyadverb
So as to produce a loud sound; loudly.
The brass section came in big, drowning out the strings.
The director kept telling the cast to sing it big so their voices would reach the back row.
Similarloud, loudly
Oppositesoftly, quietly
20
hardadverbcolloquial
So as to strike with great force; hard.
The young linebacker hits big, and running backs feel his tackles for days afterward.
Their cleanup hitter swings big, so when he connects, the ball usually leaves the park.
Similarhard, heavily
Oppositegently, lightly
21
pregnantadjectivefiguratively
Large with young; pregnant or swelling, and ready to give birth or bring forth.
The ewe grew big with lamb as spring approached.
The clouds hung low, big with the rain they were about to release.
UsageFollowed by with: big with child, big with foal, and by extension clouds big with rain.
Similarpregnant, expectant, expecting, gravid, gestating
Note
Addison stretches it in Cato (1713), where a dawning day is "big with the Fate / Of Cato and of Rome," heavy with an outcome about to be delivered.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Joseph Addison wrote Cato, first published in 1713. gutenberg.ca
The quoted words describe the approaching day in Cato; Portius speaks them in Act I, Scene I. gutenberg.ca
22
inhabitverbarchaicNorthern EnglandScotlandUKtransitive
To live in or settle oneself in a place.
Note
A different word altogether from the size adjective: a Northern English and Scots verb from Old Norse byggja, "to build, dwell in, inhabit," kin to Old English būan, "to dwell." It conjugates regularly (bigs, bigging, bigged), so the past tense bigged never collides with the adjective, which only ever gives bigger and biggest.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
The verb is a separate word from the size adjective. en.wiktionary.org
The Northern English and Scots verb derives from Old Norse byggja, with the stated meanings and relationship to Old English būan. en.wiktionary.org
The verb has the regular forms bigs, bigging and bigged. en.wiktionary.org
Bigged is not an inflection of the size adjective; its comparative and superlative are bigger and biggest. en.wiktionary.org
23
buildverbarchaicNorthern EnglandScotlandUKtransitive
To build, erect, or fashion something.
Note
Building and dwelling were one idea in the Old Norse verb behind this word: byggja meant both "to build" and "to dwell in." The Scots and Northern English verb keeps the building side, with cousins in Danish bygge and Swedish bygga. It takes a direct object (big a wall, bigged a barn) and, like its sister senses, is archaic and dialectal.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Old Norse byggja had both building and dwelling meanings. en.wiktionary.org
The Scots and Northern English verb retains the building meaning. en.wiktionary.org
Danish bygge and Swedish bygga are cognates. en.wiktionary.org
24
barleynounarchaicNorthern EnglandScotlandUKuncountable
One or more types of barley, especially the six-rowed variety.
Note
A third, separate word, used for barley. It is distinct from both the adjective and the verb "to inhabit". It comes from Old Norse bygg, from a Germanic word for "crop, barley," and is cousin to Old English bēow.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The barley noun is a separate word from the adjective and the verb meaning 'to inhabit'. en.wiktionary.org
The barley noun derives from Old Norse bygg and a Germanic word meaning 'crop, barley'. en.wiktionary.org
The barley noun is cognate with Old English bēow. en.wiktionary.org
25
noun
An initiated member of a sorority or fraternity who mentors a newer member, called the little.
26
noun
The participant in ageplay who takes on the older, often caretaking role, opposite the little.
27
verbarchaicNorthern EnglandScotlandUK
To live somewhere or make one's home in a place.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of big apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–21

Northern Middle English had big, bigge, meaning "powerful, strong," possibly taken from a dialect of Old Norse. Its ultimate source may be a Proto-Germanic root meaning "swollen up, thick," from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to swell." If so, big is related to bogey, bugbear, and bug.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

Northern Middle English had the forms big and bigge meaning “powerful, strong.” en.wiktionary.org
The word possibly came from a dialect of Old Norse. en.wiktionary.org
The word may ultimately derive from a Proto-Germanic root meaning “swollen up, thick.” en.wiktionary.org
The proposed Proto-Germanic source derives from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to swell.” en.wiktionary.org
Under this proposed derivation, big is related to bogey, bugbear, and bug. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 22–23

Old Norse byggja, byggva, meaning "to build, dwell in, inhabit," was a secondary form of búa ("to dwell"). It gave Middle English biggen, byggen. Old English būan is related, and Danish bygge and Swedish bygga are cognates.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

Old Norse byggja and byggva meant to build, dwell in, or inhabit. en.wiktionary.org
These were secondary forms of Old Norse búa, meaning to dwell. en.wiktionary.org
The Old Norse verb gave Middle English biggen and byggen. en.wiktionary.org
Old English būan is related. en.wiktionary.org
Danish bygge and Swedish bygga are cognates. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 24

Proto-Germanic *bewwuz ("crop, barley") gave Old Norse bygg ("barley"), which became Middle English byge. Old English bēow ("barley") is a cognate.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Proto-Germanic *bewwuz meant 'crop, barley' and gave Old Norse bygg, meaning 'barley'. en.wiktionary.org
Middle English byge came from Old Norse bygg. en.wiktionary.org
Old English bēow meant 'barley' and is a cognate. en.wiktionary.org