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.
Brook had made a scintillating hundred but tried one big shot too many to fall for 111.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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
He likes to be the big shot and the center of attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
"Not a big shot or having high thoughts of himself. He was back in training and being the same kid."
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 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.
