Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
big dipper

big dipper

5.6
A roller coaster at an amusement park with steep drops and sharp turns
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : montaña rusa
  • The amusement park built a new big dipper that opened last summer.

Examples

  • We screamed as the big dipper raced down another steep drop.

  • Riding the big dipper was the highlight of their day at the fair.

  • The big dipper is my favorite ride at the amusement park.

  • Have you ever been on the big dipper?

  • Riding the big dipper was the highlight of their day at the amusement park.

  • The amusement park built a new big dipper that opened last summer.

  • We screamed with excitement as the big dipper raced down the steep incline.

Synonyms

roller coaster
vsbig dipper
42 1.6

A fast amusement park ride with steep slopes and sharp turns

emphasizes structure over speed and excitement

How Thrilling

wild ride
15 3.6
big dipper
  • Archaic
5.6

Surface Forms

big dipper singular
big dippers plural

Morphology

big + dipper

The sense 'roller coaster' cannot be derived compositionally from 'big' (large) and 'dipper' (normally a ladle or name of a constellation); the amusement-park meaning is a conventional, culture-specific name rather than a predictable combination of the parts. Because learners who know the constituent words would not infer this sense without exposure, the expression is idiomatic and opaque.

Etymology

Big dipper may come from the simple picture of a large ride that makes a big dip in the track: the words big and dipper suggest something that drops down sharply. That's why a big dipper is a 'roller coaster' known for big drops and fast turns.