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.
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
Jokic, unafraid to make the right pass, and Westbrook, unafraid to take the big shot, combined to make the play.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2025
He's a terrific snob and he won't hardly even talk to you unless you're a big shot or a celebrity or something, but he can really play the piano.
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.
