big fish
Britishnoun
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an important or powerful person
-
the most important or powerful person in a small group
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.
"A few years ago, I used to catch big fish like captains and catfish but because of the pollution, they've moved further out to sea," fisherman Gilby Mwana-Fioti told AFP.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
She was a big fish in a small and comfortable pond.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
“She always said she’d rather be a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big pond,” said her daughter, Melissa Davitt-Smith.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
"They physically cannot swallow large objects like kayaks, tires, or even big fish like tuna," he said.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2025
“This guy catches a big fish, except the fish says he is really a prince under a spell. The man lets the fish go, but his wife sends him back to get a wish granted.”
From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
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.
