big shot
Americannoun
noun
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.
I hope the move to number seven works for him but he is not quite looking like the Stokes that walked out, bossed around, owned the crease and played the big shot.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
“It’s a big shot in the arm to all of us who are working to recover salmon across the state.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 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
“It’s a big shot in the arm,” Roberts said of Kershaw pregame, before Sasaki went on the injured list.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2025
He didn't talk to you at all hardly unless you were a big shot or a celebrity or something.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
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.
