big shot
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of big shot
First recorded in 1905–10
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.
Brook had made a scintillating hundred but tried one big shot too many to fall for 111.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Three days after Kennard made every big shot, he made every big shot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
“It’s a big shot in the arm to all of us who are working to recover salmon across the state.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
He likes to be the big shot and the center of attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
He always wanted everybody to go back to their own room and shut up when he was finished being the big shot.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions 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.
