big wheel

American  

noun

Informal.

1. an influential or important person.

   a big wheel in business.

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big wheel British  

noun

1. another name for a Ferris wheel

2. informal an important person

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big wheel Idioms  

1. see under big cheese.

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Etymology

Origin of big wheel

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Sajak will not be its hub forever, but the whole point of the big wheel is to spin and spin and spin while staying in place.

From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2023

Paramedics loaded the injured hiker into a big wheel stretcher and safely got him down the rest of the trail.

From Washington Times • Feb. 7, 2021

Kives’s road to becoming a big wheel in the Democratic money machine began in June 2001, when he was an undergraduate at Stanford.

From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2020

Mr Marks, who died two years ago, liked the idea of a big wheel because he wanted something that people could participate in and enjoy while up high, according to Ms Barfield.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2019

It takes such a very little flow to build up enough weight to turn a big wheel and generate enormous power.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George