Big Five

American  

noun

History/Historical.

1. the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan during World War I and at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

2. (after World War II) the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and France.

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Big Five British  

noun

1. the five countries considered to be the major world powers. In the period immediately following World War II, the US, Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and France were regarded as the Big Five

2. the lion, the elephant, the rhinoceros, the buffalo, and the leopard: considered to be the five principal African wild animals, esp as sought by those on safari

3. Also: Big Four.   Big Three.  a small powerful group, as of banks, companies, etc

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Example Sentences

Every member of the Big Five had a dedicated conservative imprint.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

Kruger's fauna -- including the famed Big Five grouping of elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo -- had largely escaped the flooding because animals had sensed the danger and moved to higher lying areas.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

"The Big Five has already penetrated the political sphere and there are documented cases of high-profile connections in the political arena," the policeman alleged.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

Spain is one of Eurovisions’ Big Five countries that donate the most money for the contest, and Ireland has won the second most contests after Sweden, which features former winners like ABBA.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

We give them a questionnaire, like the Big Five Inventory, carefully designed to elicit telling responses.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell