Big Apple
Britishnoun
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.
The Knicks have a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of seven series against the San Antonio Spurs, and now the action shifts to the Big Apple for games three and four.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
More than 100,000 people fled the Big Apple last year.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
So fans in the Big Apple needed a big draft.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Combined, this gives you roughly $40,000 a year before taxes — but you don’t have those Big Apple expenses and, in theory, you will have more than $700,000 in five years’ time.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
The protest in New York was on at the moment, but let me tell you, it didn’t look like a love train chugging through the Big Apple.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
