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big¹

  • /bɪɡ/

Rhymes with -ɪɡ

Where it comes from

Inherited from Northern Middle English big, bigge (“powerful, strong”), possibly from a dialect of Old Norse. Ultimately perhaps a derivative of Proto-Germanic *bugja- (“swollen up, thick”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew-, *bu- (“to swell”), in which case big would be related to bogey, bugbear, and bug.

Compare dialectal Norwegian bugge (“great man”), Low German Bögge, Boggelmann.

adjective bigger · biggest

  1. Of great size, large. Elephants are big animals, and they eat a lot.
  2. informal Fat. Gosh, she is big!
  3. figuratively, sometimes Large with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce. She was big with child.
  4. informal Specifically, big-breasted.
  5. informal Having a large penis. I'm the shortest man on the team but in the gym shower everyone can see that I'm also the biggest.
  6. informal Having large muscles, especially visible ones such as the chest and arm muscles. I've been lifting weights for a full year now, but I'm finally getting big.
  7. informal Adult; (of a child) older. Kids should get help from big people if they want to use the kitchen.
  8. informal, rare, slang Old, mature. Used to imply that someone is too old for something, or acting immaturely. I don't think so, if you're shouting at people across the playground at your big age.
  9. informal Mature, conscientious, principled; generous. That's very big of you; thank you!
  10. informal Important or significant. What's so big about that? I do it all the time.
  11. Popular. That style is very big right now in Europe, especially among teenagers.
  12. Populous.
  13. informal Used as an intensifier, especially of negative-valence nouns You are a big liar.  Why are you in such a big hurry?
  14. capitalized, humorous, often, sometimes Operating on a large scale, especially if therefore having undue or sinister influence. big money
  15. informal Enthusiastic (about). Neville is big on standing by his principles and he deserves plaudits for acknowledging he got his starting system wrong, reverting to 4-2-3-1 and introducing Kirby in the No 10 role.

adverb bigger · biggest

  1. In a loud manner.
  2. In a boasting manner. He's always talking big, but he never delivers.
  3. In a large amount or to a large extent. He won big betting on the croquet championship.
  4. informal (modifying a preposition) I've always been big into sport, but I'm especially big into football.
  5. On a large scale, expansively. You've got to think big to succeed at Amalgamated Plumbing.
  6. colloquial Hard; with great force. He hit him big and the guy just crumpled.

noun bigs

  1. Someone or something that is large in stature. You could throw out everything else, but I had the speed to split double-teams. Like, go at double-teams numerous times in a possession, on consecutive possessions where I'm testing your endurance, your bigs.
  2. An important or powerful person; a celebrity; a big name.
  3. in plural The big leagues, big time. In the Appalachian League, where Cal Ripken once played in Bluefield, W.Va., a ballplayer's chances of making it to the bigs are less than one in six.
  4. An initiated member of a sorority or fraternity who acts as a mentor to a new member (the little). He was there the night of Cristoph's party. All the littles were assigned to their bigs. Ian and Christoph had rushed the same fraternity. When they became upperclassmen, they both ended up on the board.
  5. The participant in age roleplay who acts out the older role.

big²

  • /bɪɡ/

Rhymes with -ɪɡ

Where it comes from

From Middle English biggen, byggen, from Old Norse byggja, byggva (“to build, dwell in, inhabit”), a secondary form of Old Norse búa (“to dwell”), related to Old English būan (“to dwell”). Cognate with Danish bygge, Swedish bygga.

verb bigs · bigging · bigged

  1. Northern England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, transitive To inhabit; occupy.
  2. Northern England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, reflexive To locate oneself.
  3. Northern England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, transitive To build; erect; fashion. Don't big it up.
  4. Northern England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, intransitive To dwell; have a dwelling.

big³

  • /bɪɡ/

Rhymes with -ɪɡ

Where it comes from

From Middle English byge, from Old Norse bygg (“barley, probably Hordeum vulgare, common barley”), from Proto-Germanic *bewwuz (“crop, barley”). Cognate with Old English bēow (“barley”).

noun bigg · bygg · bygge

  1. Northern England, Scotland, UK, archaic, dialectal, uncountable One or more kinds of barley, especially six-rowed barley. The poor lass was sitting bemoaning herself - "Were it nae for thy girning face, I would knock the big, winnow the corn, and grun the meal," - "Lowse the cradle-band," said the child, "and tent the neighbours, and I'll work yere work." Up he started - the wind arose - the corn was chopped - the outl

BIG⁴

noun BIGs

  1. A biological insulation garment; an air-tight, full-body suit intended to prevent the spread of contaminants.

phrase

  1. abbreviation Abbreviation of business is a game.business is a game

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