big fish
Britishnoun
-
an important or powerful person
-
the most important or powerful person in a small group
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.
Now Strike 3 appears to have hooked a big fish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
She was a big fish in a small and comfortable pond.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026
“She always said she’d rather be a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big pond,” said her daughter, Melissa Davitt-Smith.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
The first arrests in connection with the scandal -- eight members of the country's Department of Public Works and Highways -- were announced only days ago, with the government promising "big fish are coming soon".
From Barron's ● Nov. 30, 2025
I see the pictures on the bulletin board of the prize fish and I see the big fish mounted on the wall.
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
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.
