adj

big

bihg

adj

Large in size, amount, or extent.

"They moved into a big house with a large garden."

"That's a big decision to make so quickly."

Important, significant, or influential.

"Landing that client was a big deal for the small firm."

Grown up or older, especially said of children.

"She's a big girl now and can pour her own cereal."

adv

To a great extent, or in a large way, used informally.

"He talks big but rarely follows through."

How to Use Big

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishLarge in size or importance — one of the most common words in English for scale or significance.

Common pairings

big deal big picture think big big time

Word Forms

bigger comparative, bigger comparative, bigged past tense, bigs plural, BIGs plural, bigs singular, biggest superlative, biggest superlative

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They moved into a _____ house with a large garden.

Etymology

From Northern Middle English big or bigge, "powerful, strong," possibly from a dialect of Old Norse, ultimately traced to a Germanic root meaning "to swell" — the same root behind words like "bug" and "bugbear."