big end

American  

noun

Machinery.

1. the end of a connecting rod or piston rod that is attached to a crankpin.

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big end British  

noun

1. Also called (in vertical engines): bottom end.  the larger end of a connecting rod in an internal-combustion engine Compare little end

2. the bearing surface between the larger end of a connecting rod and the crankpin of the crankshaft

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Etymology

Origin of big end

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Another point he made, on a post-earnings-report conference call with analysts, is that software will actually be a big end user of AI.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

As for Manchester United, it is a big end to the season for their boss Ruben Amorim.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2025

The drain wrench has a big end and a smaller end, with prongs on both sides, so you can slip it into different types of drains.

From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2022

Sweden also played for the big end, blanking the sixth and seventh in a 3-3 game before Canada forced it to take a single point in the eighth.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 17, 2022

I’d start at the big end and hammer in a wedge with the back side of my axe.

From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson