big time
Americannoun
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big times
plural
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Informal. the highest or most important level in any profession or occupation.
She's a talented violinist, but she's not ready for the big time.
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Slang. a very good time.
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Theater. (in vaudeville) any highly successful circuit of theaters that produces two performances daily.
noun
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An enjoyable or exciting time, as in The children came home exhausted but happy; they really had a big time at the circus . [Mid-1800s]
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The highest or most important level in any enterprise, as in I knew that when I made it through the last audition, I was finally in the big time . [ Colloquial ; c. 1900] Also see big league .
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of big time
An Americanism dating back to 1860–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here’s a simple message to sports stars, entertainers and anyone else who hits the big time at an early age and doesn’t know what to do with all that money.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
"The disease came back big time today," said the 50-year-old Englishman.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
De Zerbi's fierce ambition has been backed big time, so optimism is running high.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
And I always call my mom when I’m driving because she lives in Scotland and I have to take into account the big time difference.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
That move would have discouraged me and might have really got me down if Nick hadn’t picked up his game big time.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
