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.
Later in the chat, a Binance VIP client manager said: “Karry the big shot, haha. Boss Rock has mentioned you before.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 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
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 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.
