big name

¹

noun

1. a person who has a preeminent public reputation in a specified field.

   He's a big name in education.

big-name

²

[big-neym]

adjective

1. having a widespread public reputation as a leader in a specified field; famous.

   a big-name doctor; a big-name actress.

2. of, relating to, or composed of a big-name person or persons.

big name

noun

1. informal

   1. a famous person

   2. ( as modifier )

      a big-name performer

Word History and Origins

Origin of big name¹

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Origin of big name²

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

Chelsea are missing a big name in Cole Palmer because of injury, but Will Faulks of Chelsea News thinks 24-year-old Moises Caicedo has stepped up in the England player's absence.

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On Thursday, Intel became the latest big name whose results topped Wall Street’s expectations, adding to a list of other upbeat reports in recent days from the likes of Coca-Cola, 3M and General Motors.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Like falling dominoes, plastic recycling plant closures have been endemic across Europe too: another big name, Veolia, will close its two German operations this year, while seven plastic recyclers closed in the Netherlands last year.

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His comments are in contrast to recent widespread concern about the steady outflow of some big name companies from UK markets, particularly to the US.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a big name in baseball — thanks to his famous name — from the day he arrived in the majors in 2019.

Read more on Los Angeles Times