Big Important Great Large Bɪɡ Biggest Person Shirt

• a big man/house/increase
• this shirt isn't big enough.
• it's the world's biggest computer company.
• he had this great big grin on his face.

big

1. large in size, degree, amount, etc.
• a big man/house/increase
• This shirt isn't big enough.
• It's the world's biggest computer company.
• He had this great big grin on his face.
• They were earning big money.
• The news came as a big blow.
• a large amount of
• a large number of
• a large quantity of
• a great deal of
• in great detail
• a person of great age
2. older
• my big brother
• You're a big girl now.
3. important; serious
• a big decision
• Tonight is the biggest match of his career.
• You are making a big mistake.
• She took the stage for her big moment.
• Do you really think we can take on the big boys (= compete with the most powerful people)?
4. needing a lot of effort, money or time to succeed
• They're full of big ideas.
5. popular with the public; successful
• Orange is the big colour this year.
• The band's very big in Japan.
6. enthusiastic about somebody/something
• I'm a big fan of hers.
7. doing something often or to a large degree
• a big eater/drinker/spender
8. kind or generous
• He gave me an extra five pounds for two hours' work. I thought ‘That's big of you’.
9. to be/become too proud of yourself; to behave as if you are more important than you really are
• See related entries: Proud
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/proud/big
10. an important and powerful person, especially in an organization
11. the most important person or thing
12. an important person (in a small community)
13. a weak man, who is not brave or confident
14. the ability to keep moving ahead of your competitors, especially in politics
• In politics, momentum is known as the big mo.
• He's picking up a lot of support and has the big mo.
15. an important person
16. the situation as a whole
• Right now forget the details and take a look at the big picture.
17. the use or threat of force or power
• The authorities used quiet persuasion instead of the big stick.
18. the three, four, etc. most important countries, people, companies, etc.
• She works for one of the Big Six.
19. used to say that somebody has been greedy by taking more food than they can eat
20. to show your approval of somebody by clapping your hands; to be applauded in this way
• Ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a big hand to our special guests tonight.
21. to have more important or more interesting things to do
22. to be bad at keeping secrets
23. to talk too much, especially about your own abilities and achievements
24. on a large/small scale
• The new delivery service has taken off in a big way.
• Many people are investing in a small way in the stock market.
25. to make something seem more important than it really is
26. used when you realize that you have said something that you should not have said
27. so important to the economy of a country that when it finds itself in financial trouble, the government or central bank must act to save it
• Shouldering the huge costs of rescuing banks that are too big to fail has been left to taxpayers.

Extra Examples

• He was a short man with great big glasses.
• The whole story is just a big fat lie.
• This house is rather big for us. We need something smaller.
• This is a fairly big decision to make.
• We were hoping the show would be a really big success.
• a potentially big drawback
• Do you really think we can take on the big boys?
• He was a big man—tall and broad-shouldered.
• It’s a big decision to have to make.
• It’s the world’s biggest computer company.
• She took the stage for her big moment.
• There’s been a big increase in prices.
• This house is too big for us now.
• This shirt isn’t big enough.

Word Origin

• Middle English (in the sense ‘strong, mighty’): of unknown origin.