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Synonyms

big shot

American  

noun

Informal.

  1. an important or influential person.

big shot British  

noun

  1. informal an important or influential person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
big shot Idioms  

  1. see under big cheese.

Etymology

Origin of big shot

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

He likes to be the big shot and the center of attention.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

On “Father Figure,” Swift sings about a big shot taking a “protégé” under their wing—and demanding total loyalty in return.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

When the big shot came, Stokes had positioned both a mid-on and long-on while Bashir looped up the second slowest wicket-taking delivery by an England bowler this decade.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2025

Ali Monfared, the 36-year-old head coach for Canyon, said, “It was the wildest game I’ve ever seen or been involved in. There was big shot after big shot after big shot.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2025

She’s a big shot at an advertising agency downtown.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake

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.