bigwig

noun

big·​wig ˈbig-ˌwig How to pronounce bigwig (audio)
: an important person

Examples of bigwig in a Sentence

a bigwig in local politics interviewed by several bigwigs on the hospital's staff
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
All the while, the heroic couple was dogged by not just a team of lovebird assassins, but an inscrutable bunch of White House bigwigs. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 21 Jan. 2025 Meta was briefly the bigwig in the AR/VR space 10 years ago when Meta (then Facebook) bought the VR company Oculus. Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 25 Sep. 2024 Helly shocked bigwigs at a Lumon soirée with a sermon against severance. Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025 Pan might be doing exactly that if not for Xi and the Communist Party bigwigs looking over his shoulder. William Pesek, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for bigwig

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bigwig was in 1703

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Cite this Entry

“Bigwig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigwig. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

bigwig

noun
big·​wig ˈbig-ˌwig How to pronounce bigwig (audio)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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