: a person of consequence or prominence

Examples of big shot in a Sentence

All the corporate big shots are meeting this afternoon. a big shot in local politics

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of big shot was in 1929

Dictionary Entries Near big shot

Cite this Entry

“Big shot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20shot. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

big shot

noun
: an important person

More from Merriam-Webster on big shot

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!