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.
The last time they waited to catch the big fish, he didn’t bite.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
She was a big fish in a small and comfortable pond.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026
“There’s a lot of big fish on the lake,” said Paul Muche, scion of a family considered sturgeon-spearing royalty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
The first arrests in connection with the scandal -- eight members of the country's Department of Public Works and Highways -- were announced only days ago, with the government promising "big fish are coming soon".
From Barron's ● Nov. 30, 2025
They are big fish now, and Alice is good at fishing.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
