big
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- large, enormous, extensive, great, huge, immense, massive, substantial, vast
- important, eminent, influential, leading, main, powerful, prominent, significant
- grown-up, adult, elder, grown, mature
- generous, altruistic, benevolent, gracious, magnanimous, noble, unselfish

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Antonyms: little
Contrasted words: paltry, piddling, trivial, slight, small, insignificant, minute, tiny, wee, empty
Related Idioms: full to bursting (or overflowing), full to the ears, stuffed to the gills
Related Words: bumper, hulking, whacking, whopping, clumsy, unwieldy, ample, biggish, capacious, commodious, comprehensive, copious, roomy, spacious, voluminous, distended, inflated, swollen, flushed, overflowing, cloyed, glutted, sated, satiated, satisfied

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English Thesaurus: big, large, major, considerable/substantial, huge/massive/enormous, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. big¹ S1 W1 /bɪɡ/ adjective (comparative bigger, superlative biggest)
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language]

1. SIZE of more than average size or amount:
a big house
I need a bigger desk.
She had a big grin on her face.
a big increase in crime
Los Angeles is the biggest city in California.
The garage isn’t big enough for two cars.
When they lose, they lose in a big way (=to a large degree).
There was this great big (=extremely big) spider in the sink.

2. IMPORTANT important and serious:
a big decision
Buying your own house is a big commitment.
The big game is on Friday.
There’s a big difference between understanding something and being able to explain it to others.
Everyone was getting ready for the big day (=a day when an important event will happen).

3. POPULAR/SUCCESSFUL successful or popular, especially in business or entertainment:
Julia Roberts became a big star.
She’s very big in Australia.
After years as a small-time actor, he suddenly made it big (=became very successful) in Hollywood.
the big boys (=the most powerful people or companies) ⇒ big cheese, big noise, ⇒ big shot at shot¹(14), ⇒ big time

4. OLDER
a) big sister/brother your older sister or brother
b) older or more like an adult – used especially by children or when you are talking to children:
Come on, don’t cry. You’re a big girl now.

5. LARGE DEGREE [only before noun] informal
a) doing something to a large degree
a big eater/drinker/spender etc
Des is a big gambler, you know.
be a big fan/admirer of somebody/something
b) done to a large degree or with great energy
give somebody a big hug/kiss
Mama gave me a big hug.
give somebody a big hand (=clap loudly)

6. BAD [only before noun] informal used to emphasize how bad something is:
AIDS remains a big problem in many parts of the world.
Buying that house was a big mistake.
I never said that, you big liar!

7. have big ideas/plans to have impressive plans for the future:
I’ve got big plans for this place.

8. be big on something spoken
a) to like something very much:
I’m not big on kids.
b) to have a lot of a quality or feature:
The new BMW is big on safety features.

9. what’s the big idea? spoken used when someone has done something annoying, especially when you want them to explain why they did it:
Hey, what’s the big idea? Who said you could use my computer?

10. GENEROUS it is big of somebody to do something spoken
a) used to say that someone is very kind or generous to do something
b) used when you really think that someone is not kind or helpful at all:
£5! That was big of her!

11. big mouth spoken someone who has a big mouth cannot be trusted to keep things secret:
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth.
me and my big mouth (=said when you wish you had not told someone a secret) ⇒ bigmouth

12. LETTERS informal big letters are capitals, for example G, R, A etc

13. WORDS informal big words are long or unusual and are difficult to read or understand

14. be/get too big for your boots informal to be too proud of yourself

15. use/wield the big stick informal to threaten to use your power to get what you want

16. a big girl’s blouse British English informal someone, especially a man, who is not brave

17. big up (to/for) somebody spoken informal used when you want to praise someone:
Big up to Kelly Holmes! She ran a superb race.
⇒ think big at think¹(39)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. big² verb (past tense and past participle bigged, present participle bigging)
big somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb British English spoken informal

1. to say that someone or something is very good, especially in public:
He’s always on TV bigging up his new band.

2. big it up to spend a lot of money and enjoy yourself in a social situation, in a way that other people will notice

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

big
adj.
I. large
VERBS be, look, seem | become, get, grow
ADV. extremely, incredibly, really, very | fairly, pretty, quite, rather This house is rather big for us. We need something smaller.
PHRASES big fat He was a big fat chap with a beard.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

big
II. important
VERBS be
ADV. extremely, really, very hoping the show would be a really big success
fairly, pretty This is a fairly big decision to make.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

big
adjective
BAD: The party was big fun and we all enjoyed ourselves.
GOOD: The party was great fun and we all enjoyed ourselves.
BAD: There is a big possibility that they may not come.
GOOD: There is a strong possibility that they may not come.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

big:
a big city
a big guy
a big mistake
Lack of funding is the biggest problem.
Getting a car has made a big difference to my life.
large a slightly more formal word than big, used to describe objects and amounts:
a large bowl
Large areas of the forest have been destroyed.
The museum attracts a large number of visitors.
major [only before noun] big and important:
Pollution is a major problem.
There has been a major change in government policy.
considerable/substantial quite big – used especially about amounts:
They have spent a considerable amount of money on the project.
A substantial amount of heat is lost through the windows.
He had a considerable influence on young musicians.
huge/massive/enormous extremely big:
The table was enormous.
a huge explosion
Their house is huge.
There is a huge amount of work to be done.
There has been a massive increase in oil prices.
The company is massive, operating in 150 countries.
A massive fire destroyed more than thirty homes.
He’s been under an enormous amount of stress recently.
The changes will have an enormous impact.
great [only before noun] very big – used especially to describe the level or number of something:
He achieved great success in America.
The college offers a great number of courses.
a great advantage
vast extremely big – used about areas, distances, numbers, or amounts:
vast areas of rainforest
A vast number of tourists visit the island every year.
gigantic extremely big and much bigger than other things of the same type:
Gigantic waves crashed onto the beach.
colossal extremely big – used about amounts or objects:
James ran up a colossal phone bill.
a colossal statue of Napoleon
tremendous having an extremely big effect:
There have been some tremendous changes.
My new job will be a tremendous challenge.
The children were making a tremendous amount of noise.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

important having a big effect on people’s lives or on events in the future:
an important decision
Good qualifications are increasingly important.
big important or serious:
It’s a big decision.
a big problem
significant important enough to be noticeable or have a big effect:
There is no significant difference between the performance of male and female students.
The Internet has brought about significant changes in people’s lives.
noteworthy formal important or interesting enough to deserve your attention:
The castle is the island’s most noteworthy feature.
The jury’s verdict was noteworthy for a number of reasons.
essential very important, especially for the success, health, or safety of someone or something:
It is essential to speak the local language.
essential supplies of food and clothing
vital/crucial extremely important, because without it there could be serious problems:
His evidence was vital to the case.
The US plays a crucial role in the region.
The media are a vital part of the political system.
key extremely important and having a big effect:
Wheeler had a key role in the development of the atom bomb.
Timing is key.
of great/considerable importance very important:
In the construction industry, health and safety are of considerable importance.
momentous very important because it has a very great effect on the future:
Momentous events were taking place in Russia.
a momentous decision
main/chief/principal [only before noun] most important:
What was your main aim?
the principal reason for their decision
the chief cause of the recession
major [usually before noun] one of the most important or serious things:
Smoking is a major cause of heart disease.
Street crime is a major problem.
central/primary [usually before noun] most important – used especially when talking about the main thing that people are discussing, worried about, or trying to do:
Education will be the central issue in the election.
Our primary concern is passenger safety.
paramount /ˈpærəmaʊnt/ formal more important than anything else, so that you must consider it when deciding what to do:
Airport security is of paramount importance.
The needs of the students are paramount.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

big
̈ɪbɪɡ
See: in a big way , little frog in a big pond , little pitchers have big ears , talk big , too big for one's breeches , what's the big idea

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲