having a widespread public reputation as a leader in a specified field; famous.
a big-name doctor; a big-name actress.
of, relating to, or composed of a big-name person or persons.
An Americanism dating back to 1930–35
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Big-name fiber and optoelectronics stocks have been among the hottest on the market this year, but investors who look below the surface can find a multitude of ways to play the boom in connectivity demand.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
Big-name campuses turn away students while hundreds of lesser-known schools struggle to fill seats.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Big-name authors like Jonathan Safran Foer, Toni Morrison and Julia Alvarez even wrote original short stories that Chipotle published on its cups and bags.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
Big-name retirements, an impressive display against Portugal but dominated by Spain days later.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2025
Big-name free agents appear in no hurry to strike deals at the winter meetings, biding time until Shohei Ohtani potentially breaks the record for richest contract set 4 1/2 years ago by Mike Trout.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 4, 2023
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.
