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

While Henderson is a notable omission, he is not the only big name missing from last year's Six Nations squad.

From BBC

Together they grew the business, which provides analysis and services for company boards, and today it employs 200 staff and has big big name clients, including Nationwide, Rolls-Royce and Reckitt.

From BBC

The read-through for one big name in particular — ConocoPhillips — stood out for analysts at Citi as they see 8% upside for shares if Venezuela pays up on a long-overdue debt.

From MarketWatch

Kalshi recently raised External link $1 billion from big name venture-capital firms like Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz at an $11 billion valuation.

From Barron's

I sent in self-tapes, but they wanted a big name for the part.

From The Wall Street Journal