big - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Abbreviation of English Biangai.

big

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Biangai.

Inherited from Northern Middle English big, bigge (“powerful, strong”), possibly from a dialect of Old Norse. Ultimately perhaps a derivative of Proto-Germanic *bugja- (“swollen up, thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew-, *bu- (“to swell”),[1] in which case big would be related to bogey, bugbear, and bug.

Compare dialectal Norwegian bugge (“great man”), Low German Bögge, Boggelmann.

big (comparative bigger, superlative biggest)

  1. Of great size, large.
    Synonyms: ample, huge, large, sizeable, stour, jumbo, massive; see also Thesaurus:large
    Antonyms: little, small, tiny, minuscule, miniature, minute
    Elephants are big animals, and they eat a lot.
    • 2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist‎[1], volume 408, number 8843, archived from the original on 12 November 2020, page 68:
      Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return. […] When a company’s share price rises faster than the rest of the market, this means that it has a bigger weight in a traditional index.
    • 2025 March 28, “Utah becomes the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water”, in CNN‎[2], sourced from Associated Press:
      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.
    1. (informal) Fat.
      Synonyms: chubby, plus-size, rotund; see also Thesaurus:overweight
      Gosh, she is big!
  2. (sometimes figurative) Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce.
    Synonyms: full, great, heavy; see also Thesaurus:pregnant
    She was big with child.
  3. (informal) Well-endowed; with a desired body part notably large.
    1. Specifically, big-breasted.
      Synonyms: busty, macromastic, stacked; see also Thesaurus:busty
    2. Having a large penis.
      I'm the shortest man on the team but in the gym shower everyone can see that I'm also the biggest.
    3. Having large muscles, especially visible ones such as the chest and arm muscles.
      I've been lifting weights for a full year now, but I'm finally getting big.
  4. (informal) Adult; (of a child) older.
    Synonyms: adult, fully grown, grown up; see also Thesaurus:full-grown
    Antonyms: little, young
    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.
    • 1931, Robert L. May, Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Montgomery Ward (publisher), draft:
      By midnight, however, the last light had fled / For even big people have then gone to bed[.]
    • 1998 April 12, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):
      Uh oh ... that looks like one of those things the big people don't want us to touch, Marvin!
    1. (informal, slang, rare, of someone's age) Old, mature. Used to imply that someone is too old for something, or acting immaturely.
      • 2020, Candice Carty-Williams, Notting Hill Carnival:
        I don't think so, if you're shouting at people across the playground at your big age.
  5. (informal) Mature, conscientious, principled; generous. [with_ of ‘someone’]
    _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.
    • 2011, Joe Pieri, The Big Men, →ISBN:
      So the bloke says, 'Fine, that's real big of you, much appreciated,' and off he goes with Big John back to Ferrari's.
  6. (informal) Important or significant.
    Synonyms: essential, paramount, weighty; see also Thesaurus:important
    What's so big about that? I do it all the time.
    • 1909 September 9, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], chapter II, in The Squire’s Daughter, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC:
      "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."
    • 2007 September 4, John Berg, “Time on the Greens Beats Time at the Gate”, in The New York Times‎[3]:
      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.
    • 2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3-3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:
      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.
    • 2023 January 25, Cem Davis tells Nick Brodrick, “A warm 'Waterloo family' welcome”, in RAIL, number 975, page 38:
      "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."
  7. Popular.
    Synonyms: all the rage, in demand, well liked
    That style is very big right now in Europe, especially among teenagers.
    • 1984, “Big in Japan”, in Forever Young, performed by Alphaville:
      Big in Japan, alright, pay then I'll sleep by your side / Things are easy when you're big in Japan
  8. (of a city) Populous.
  9. (informal) Used as an intensifier, especially of negative-valence nouns
    You are a big liar. Why are you in such a big hurry?
    • 1918, Michael Williams, The Book of the High Romance: A Spiritual Autobiography, page 41:
      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.
    • 2007 August 8, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):
      Why is it whenever I'm in a big hurry he's always in a big slow?
  10. (of an industry or other field, or institution(s) therein; often capitalized; sometimes humorous) Operating on a large scale, especially if therefore having undue or sinister influence.
    Big Tech, Big Steel ― large or influential tech or steel companies
    Big Science ― science performed by large teams, and of large scope, with government or corporate funding
    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]
  1. (informal) Enthusiastic (about). [_with_ on ‘someone/something’]
    Synonyms: fanatical, mad, worked up; see also Thesaurus:enthusiastic

of a great size — see also large

adult

big (comparative bigger, superlative biggest)

  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.
    Synonyms: greatly, hugely, largely, massively; bigly (usually humorous and nonstandard)
    He won big betting on the croquet championship.
    Don't miss our November sale — it's your last chance to save big before Christmas!
    • 2026 March 9, Cyrus Veyssi, “In Defense of Influencers”, in TIME‎[7], archived from the original on 14 March 2026:
      According to the Digital Marketing Institute, influencer marketing campaigns are paying off big for brands, generating roughly $5.78 for every dollar spent.
    1. (informal) (modifying a preposition)
      I've always been big into sport, but I'm especially big into football.
  4. On a large scale, expansively.
    You've got to think big to succeed at Amalgamated Plumbing.
    • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 3, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 25:
      'You've got to put it over big,' he was saying in a loud nasal voice.
  5. (colloquial) Hard; with great force.
    He hit him big and the guy just crumpled.

big (plural bigs)

  1. Someone or something that is large in stature.
    • 2019, Derrick Rose, Sam Smith, I'll Show You:
      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.
    Synonym: big shot
  3. (in the plural) The big leagues, big time.
    Synonym: big leagues
    • 2004 June 23, Michelle Boorstein, “Ballclub’s Pullout Caps Va. Town’s Run of Woes; Struggling Martinsville No Longer Celebrates Its Boys of Summer”, in Washington Post:
      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. (university slang) An initiated member of a sorority or fraternity who acts as a mentor to a new member (the little).
    • 2018, Kelly Ann Gonzales, Through an Opaque Window:
      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.
    • 2019 April 1, Audrey Steinkamp, “Sororities pair new members with "bigs"”, in Yale Daily News‎[8], archived from the original on 20 February 2026:
      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.
    • 2022 September 27, Shreya Varrier, “Gamma Rho Lambda provides LGBTQIA+ community in greek life”, in Iowa State Daily‎[9], archived from the original on 8 February 2023:
      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. (ageplay) The participant in age roleplay who acts out the older role.
    Antonym: little

From Middle English biggen, byggen, from Old Norse byggja, byggva (“to build, dwell in, inhabit”), a secondary form of Old Norse búa (“to dwell”), related to Old English būan (“to dwell”). Cognate with Danish bygge, Swedish bygga.

big (third-person singular simple present bigs, present participle bigging, simple past and past participle bigged) (archaic, UK dialectal, Northern England, Scotland)

  1. (transitive) To inhabit; occupy.
  2. (reflexive) To locate oneself.
  3. (transitive) To build; erect; fashion.
  4. (intransitive) To dwell; have a dwelling.

From Middle English byge, from Old Norse bygg (“barley, probably Hordeum vulgare, common barley”), from Proto-Germanic *bewwuz (“crop, barley”). Cognate with Old English bēow (“barley”).

big (uncountable)

  1. One or more kinds of barley, especially six-rowed barley.

  2. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, pages 98-102

From English big.

big

  1. (Cantonese, informal, punning) alternative form of 迫 (“crowded; to crowd”), 迫 can act as verb or adjective.
    一晏晝六點地鐵變得好big，企都冇位企。 [Cantonese, _trad._]
    一晏昼六点地铁变得好big，企都冇位企。 [Cantonese, _simp._]
    jat1 aan3 zau3 luk6 dim2 dei6 tit3 bin3 dak1 hou2 bik1, kei5 dou1 mou5 wai6 kei5. [Jyutping]
    The subway becomes so packed at 6 p.m. that there’s no room to stand.
    個頭盔太細你就唔好堅持戴啊，唔通你想big爛頭骨或者頭盔？ [Cantonese, _trad._]
    个头盔太细你就唔好坚持戴啊，唔通你想big烂头骨或者头盔？ [Cantonese, _simp._]
    go3 tau4 kwai1 taai3 sai3 nei5 zau6 m4 hou2 gin1 ci4 daai3 aa1, m4 tung1 nei5 soeng2 bik1 laan6 tau4 gwat1 waak6 ze2 tau4 kwai1? [Jyutping]
    Don't force on a tight helmet — unless you're trying to crack your skull or the helmet itself!
    年宵市場啲人潮已經big不及待咁湧入去，爭住買頭炷香同桃花。 [Cantonese, _trad._]
    年宵市场啲人潮已经big不及待咁涌入去，争住买头炷香同桃花。 [Cantonese, _simp._]
    nin4 siu1 si5 coeng4 di1 jan4 ciu4 ji5 ging1 bik1 bat1 kap6 doi6 gam3 jung2 jap6 heoi3, caang1 zyu6 maai5 tau4 zyu3 hoeng1 tung4 tou4 faa1. [Jyutping]
    The crowd at the Lunar New Year fair was packed and pressing (=迫不及待 (bik1 bat1 kap6 doi6, “in a hurry”)) to surge inside, scrambling to buy the first incense and peach blossoms.

From Middle Dutch *bigge (attested in the nickname Jan Bicghe), from Old Dutch *biggo, from Proto-West Germanic *biggō. Originally a word exclusive to the Northern Dutch dialects.

big m or f (plural biggen, diminutive biggetje n)

  1. piglet, little pig
    Synonym: keu

big

  1. inflection of beag:
    1. vocative/genitive masculine singular
    2. (archaic) dative feminine singular

Mutated forms of big

radical lenition eclipsis
big bhig mbig

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

  1. ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906), A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 109, page 43

Pseudo-anglicism, a clipping of English big shot.

big m (invariable)

  1. star (entertainment)
  2. big shot, big noise

Derived from English big.

big (comparative biga, superlative bigis)

  1. big
  2. great; to a great extent
    • 2012, Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment, Edinburgh: DJB, published 2012, →ISBN, 2 Piita 1:17:
      Wi did de de wen Faada Gad imself ana Jiizas big taim, wen im ier di vais fram di riil big Wan — di wan we big an powaful. Di vais se, “Dis a fi mi pikni we mi lov an im mek mi wel api.”
      Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory, when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.”

Unadapted borrowing from English big.

big (invariable)

  1. alternative spelling of bigue

English big.

big m (invariable)

  1. important person
    • Agnëli l'è un big dl'indóstria e dla finânza.
      G. Agnelli is an important person of industry and finance.

From Old Norse byggja (“inhabit, build”).

big (third-person singular simple present bigs, present participle biggin, simple past and past participle biggit)

  1. to build

Torres Strait Creole

[edit]

From English big, cognate with (the first part of) Bislama bikfala, bigfala, Pijin bigfala, Tok Pisin bikpela.

big

  1. big

big

  1. soft mutation of pig

From Proto-Athabaskan *-wə̓t̕.

Cognates: Navajo -bid, Plains Apache -bid.

big (inalienable)

  1. belly, stomach, abdomen
    shibig ― my belly
    bibig ― her/his/their belly

From Middle English bigge.

big

  1. great, big
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 36:
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 36:
      A big oanès.
      The big ones.
    • 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 98:
      Trippeathès an brand-eyrons war ee-brougkt to a big breal.
      [Trippets and brandirons were brought to the large fire.]