Big Apple

British

noun

informal New York City

"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 Apple

C20: probably from US jazzmen's earlier use to mean any big, esp northern, city; of obscure origin

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.

But the trip to the Big Apple also illuminated another path for Moreno.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Some 1.4 million residents in the Big Apple are food insecure, meaning they're unable to regularly access affordable, healthy food.

From Barron's • Nov. 28, 2025

Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist who was just elected New York City’s next mayor, built his campaign around making the Big Apple more affordable.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 4, 2025

Andy Carter, senior winners' advisor at The National Lottery, said: "They've clearly got some amazing and memorable moments ahead and I hope they especially love taking a big bite of the Big Apple."

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

So it’s the Big Apple for us, a big exciting adventure in our fascinating voyage through life.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023