big

big¹ W1S1 [bıg] adj comparative bigger superlative biggest

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1¦(size)¦

2¦(important)¦

3¦(popular/successful)¦

4¦(older)¦

5¦(large degree)¦

6¦(bad)¦

7 have big ideas/plans

8 be big on something

9 what's the big idea?

10¦(generous)¦

11 big mouth

12¦(letters)¦

13¦(words)¦

14 be/get too big for your boots

15 use/wield the big stick

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[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.

see usage note ↑fat¹

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 after 'Pretty Woman'.

▪ 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 sb/sth

b) done to a large degree or with great energy

give sb a big hug/kiss

▪ Mama gave me a big hug.

give sb 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 sthspoken

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 sb to do sthspoken

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

▪ A whole £5! That was very big of her, I must say!

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

→think big at ↑think¹ (39)

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WORD CHOICE: big, large, great

big and large have the same meaning, but large is slightly more formal and more likely to be used in written than spoken English : a big lunch | a large house

large is used with quantity words such as 'number' and 'amount' : large amounts of money | a large proportion of the students

great is not usually used to talk about size but it can be used in literary writing to describe very large and impressive things : Before them stood a great palace.

great is used with length , height , and age , and in the expression a great deal (=a lot) : The grass had reached a great height. | a great deal of money

WORD CHOICE: big, tall, high

big is not used just to describe a person's height. It is used to describe a child who is growing, or a person who is heavy, with a lot of fat or muscle on their body.

tall is used to describe a person's height. It can also be used to describe trees, buildings, or other things that are narrow and measure a long distance from bottom to top : She is tall and thin. |the tallest building in London

high is used to describe things or places that are a long way from the ground : a high shelf |the highest mountain in the world

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big ²

big² v past tense and past participle bigged present participle bigging

big it up

BrE spoken informal to spend a lot of money and enjoy yourself in a social situation, in a way that other people will notice