Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

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.