big fish
Britishnoun
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an important or powerful person
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the most important or powerful person in a small group
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.
She was a big fish in a small and comfortable pond.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
“There’s a lot of big fish on the lake,” said Paul Muche, scion of a family considered sturgeon-spearing royalty.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
The first arrests in connection with the scandal -- eight members of the country's Department of Public Works and Highways -- were announced only days ago, with the government promising "big fish are coming soon".
From Barron's • Nov. 30, 2025
Richardson was a good example, which he said was especially common in Wales, of being "the big fish in a small pond".
From BBC • May 4, 2024
Who knows when the big fish will come back.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
