12 PHRASE If something is happening in a big way , it is happening on a large scale. [INFORMAL ] □ I think boxing will take off in a big way here.
biga|mist /b I gəm I st/ (bigamists ) N‑COUNT A bigamist is a person who commits the crime of marrying someone when they are already legally married to someone else.
biga|mous /b I gəməs/ ADJ A bigamous marriage is one in which one of the partners is already legally married to someone else.
biga|my /b I gəmi/ N‑UNCOUNT Bigamy is the crime of marrying a person when you are already legally married to someone else.
Bi g A p|ple N‑PROPER People sometimes refer to the city of New York as the Big Apple . [INFORMAL ] □ The main attractions of the Big Apple are well documented.
bi g ba nd (big bands ) N‑COUNT A big band is a large group of musicians who play jazz or dance music. Big bands were especially popular from the 1930s to the 1950s.
bi g ba ng theo|ry N‑SING In astronomy, the big bang theory is a theory that suggests that the universe was created as a result of an extremely large explosion.
Bi g Bro th|er N‑UNCOUNT People sometimes use Big Brother to refer to a person, government, or organization when they think it has complete control over people and is always checking what they do. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ It's an attempt to control what reaches the public. Big Brother is watching.
bi g bu si|ness
1 N‑UNCOUNT Big business is business which involves very large companies and very large sums of money. □ Big business will never let petty nationalism get in the way of a good deal.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Something that is big business is something which people spend a lot of money on, and which has become an important commercial activity. □ Sport has become big business.
bi g ca t (big cats ) N‑COUNT Big cats are lions, tigers, and other large wild animals in the cat family.
bi g ci ty N‑SING The big city is used to refer to a large city which seems attractive to someone because they think there are many exciting things to do there, and many opportunities to earn a lot of money. □ …a country girl who dreams of the big city and bright lights.
bi g da |ta N‑UNCOUNT Big data is extremely large amounts of information that can only be used with special computers. [COMPUTING ] □ …valuable analysis of big data.
bi g dea l
1 N‑SING If you say that something is a big deal , you mean that it is important or significant in some way. [INFORMAL ] □ I felt the pressure on me, winning was such a big deal for the whole family. □ It's no big deal.
2 PHRASE If someone makes a big deal out of something, they make a fuss about it or treat it as if it were very important. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ out of/of/about ] The Joneses make a big deal out of being 'different'.
3 CONVENTION You can say ' big deal ' to someone to show that you are not impressed by something that they consider important or impressive. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ 'You'll miss The Brady Bunch.'—'Big deal.'
bi g di p|per (big dippers ) N‑COUNT A big dipper is a fairground ride that carries people up and down steep slopes on a narrow railway at high speed. [BRIT ]
bi g fi sh (big fish )
1 N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a big fish , you believe that they are powerful or important in some way. [INFORMAL ] □ The four men arrested were described as really big fish by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
2 PHRASE If you say that someone is a big fish in a small pond , you mean that they are powerful or important but only within a small group of people. [INFORMAL ] □ In South Africa, Jani was a big fish in a small pond.
bi g ga me N‑UNCOUNT Large wild animals such as lions and elephants that are hunted for sport are often referred to as big game .
big|gie /b I gi/ (biggies ) N‑COUNT People sometimes refer to something or someone successful, well-known, or big as a biggie . [INFORMAL ] □ …Hollywood box-office biggies.
big|gish /b I g I ʃ/ ADJ Something that is biggish is fairly big. [INFORMAL ] □ …a biggish room.
bi g gu n (big guns ) N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a big gun , you mean that they have a lot of power or influence. [INFORMAL ] □ …the legal big guns who will prepare his defence.
bi g head (big heads ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a big head , you disapprove of them because they think they are very clever and know everything. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
bi g-hea ded ADJ If you describe someone as big-headed , you disapprove of them because they think they are very clever and know everything. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …an arrogant, big-headed man.
bi g-hea rted ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone as big-hearted , you think they are kind and generous, and always willing to help people. [WRITTEN ] □ …a big-hearted Irishman.
bi g hi t|ter (big hitters ) also big-hitter
1 N‑COUNT A big hitter is a sportsperson such as a golfer or tennis player who hits the ball with a lot of force. □ The Uruguayan-born big-hitter smashed 28 aces.
2 N‑COUNT A big hitter is a powerful or influential person, especially in business or politics. [INFORMAL ] □ He has always been a really big hitter in the banking world.
bi g mo n|ey N‑UNCOUNT Big money is an amount of money that seems very large to you, especially money which you get easily. □ They began to make big money during the war.
bi g mouth (big mouths ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a big mouth or that they have a big mouth, you mean that they tell other people things that should have been kept secret. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ I've got a big mouth which I always manage to put my foot in.
bi g na me (big names ) N‑COUNT A big name is a person who is successful and famous because of their work. □ [+ in ] …all the big names in rock and pop.