big time

American  

noun

1. Informal. the highest or most important level in any profession or occupation.

   She's a talented violinist, but she's not ready for the big time.

2. Slang. a very good time.

3. Theater. (in vaudeville) any highly successful circuit of theaters that produces two performances daily.

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big time British  

noun

1. informal

   1. the highest or most profitable level of an occupation or profession, esp the entertainment business

   2. ( as modifier )

      a big-time comedian

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big time Idioms  

1. An enjoyable or exciting time, as in The children came home exhausted but happy; they really had a big time at the circus . [Mid-1800s]

2. The highest or most important level in any enterprise, as in I knew that when I made it through the last audition, I was finally in the big time . [ Colloquial ; c. 1900] Also see big league .

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Other Word Forms

• big-time adjective
• big-timer noun

Etymology

Origin of big time

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Example Sentences

I was working in nightclubs, all of my friends were in nightclubs, so I lived that big time.

From Los Angeles Times

Herzog said that Iran had been seeking "10 times the amount of ballistic missiles, which would have threatened Europe big time".

From Barron's

"Was I distracted big time? No," the world number 11 said.

From BBC

Artificial intelligence for use in industry is "where I believe Europe can succeed big time around the globe", Thomas Saueressig, a board member at the continent's biggest software maker, told AFP in an interview.

From Barron's

"We dropped our standards big time and we got punished for it."

From BBC

Related Words

• big league