big name

¹ American  

noun

1. a person who has a preeminent public reputation in a specified field.

   He's a big name in education.

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big-name ² American  

[big-neym] / ˈbɪgˌneɪm /

adjective

1. having a widespread public reputation as a leader in a specified field; famous.

   a big-name doctor; a big-name actress.

2. of, relating to, or composed of a big-name person or persons.

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big name British  

noun

1. informal

   1. a famous person

   2. ( as modifier )

      a big-name performer

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Etymology

Origin of big name¹

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Origin of big-name¹

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

Chelsea are missing a big name in Cole Palmer because of injury, but Will Faulks of Chelsea News thinks 24-year-old Moises Caicedo has stepped up in the England player's absence.

From BBC

On Thursday, Intel became the latest big name whose results topped Wall Street’s expectations, adding to a list of other upbeat reports in recent days from the likes of Coca-Cola, 3M and General Motors.

From The Wall Street Journal

Like falling dominoes, plastic recycling plant closures have been endemic across Europe too: another big name, Veolia, will close its two German operations this year, while seven plastic recyclers closed in the Netherlands last year.

From BBC

His comments are in contrast to recent widespread concern about the steady outflow of some big name companies from UK markets, particularly to the US.

From BBC

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a big name in baseball — thanks to his famous name — from the day he arrived in the majors in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times