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Showing results for Big Bertha. Search instead for Wide+Berth.
Synonyms

Big Bertha

American  

noun

Informal.
  1. a large, long-range German cannon used during World War I.


Big Bertha British  

noun

  1. any of three large German guns of World War I used to bombard Paris

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Big Bertha

C20: approximate translation of German dicke Bertha : fat Bertha; named after Bertha Krupp, at whose works in Essen a very effective 42 cm mortar was made


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.

See Examples For:

It became synonymous with German military power, producing the Big Bertha gun during World War I, and later building tanks and U-boat components for the Nazis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025

They’re constructed from recycled stainless steel in sizes with catchy names: Big Bertha at 40 ounces, Grace at 27 ounces and the Firecracker at 18 ounces.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2021

The Epic Flash hybrid is larger than Callaway’s non-adjustable Apex or Rogue hybrids but smaller than the adjustable Big Bertha hybrids.

From Golf Digest ● Jul. 16, 2019

He points out Big Bertha, one of the largest of all snowdrops with broad, gray-green leaves, apple-green inner petals and a green blotch at the tip of the outer petals.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2019

‘I’ll need you and Piper to run interference. I’ll reprogram the snake, then Big Bertha.’

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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