Big Dipper

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noun Astronomy.

the group of seven bright stars in Ursa Major resembling a dipper in outline.

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Also called Dipper.

Origin of Big Dipper

First recorded in 1865–70

Words nearby Big Dipper

big crunch, Big D, big daddy, big data, big deal, Big Dipper, bigeminal, bigeminal pulse, bigeminal rhythm, bigeminy, big enchilada

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Big Dipper in a sentence

In that photo, Merabet has a big smile that spreads across his whole face and lights up his eyes.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Big Five banks dubbed too big to fail, are 35 percent bigger than they were when the meltdown was triggered.
Sen. Warren’s Main Street Crusade to Pressure Clinton|Eleanor Clift|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their three-day scientific outing was paid for by Epstein and was big success.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I really wanted Trenchmouth to succeed and at the time wished we were as big as Green Day.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The big slug happened to hit the suspect in the street, passing through his arm and then striking Police Officer Andrew Dossi.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The big room at King's Warren Parsonage was already fairly well filled.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Sol laughed out of his whiskers, with a big, loose-rolling sound, and sat on the porch without waiting to be asked.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
There were at least a dozen ladies seated round the big table at the Parsonage.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
I pictured him as slim and young looking, smooth-faced, with golden curly hair, and big brown eyes.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
Big Reginald took their lives at pool, and pocketed their half-crowns in an easy genial way, which almost made losing a pleasure.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for Big Dipper (1 of 2)

big dipper

noun

(in amusement parks) a narrow railway with open carriages that run swiftly over a route of sharp curves and steep inclinesAlso called: roller coaster

British Dictionary definitions for Big Dipper (2 of 2)

Big Dipper

noun

the US and Canadian name for Plough

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

Scientific definitions for Big Dipper

Big Dipper

An asterism composed of seven stars in the constellation Ursa Major. Four stars form the bowl and three form the handle in the outline of a dipper.

Cultural definitions for Big Dipper

Big Dipper

A constellation in the northern sky. The two stars on the far end of the bowl of the dipper point toward the North Star. The Big Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear).