big girl
50
2.3
- noun
- Informal
:
chica mayor
- My daughter is now transitioning from her crib bed to a big girl bed and I get to build it for her.
- a big girl now
- just like a big girl
- big girls need love
Yay I have a bunch of debt yay I'm a big girl now you guys, I have house troubles.
- Yay I have a bunch of debt yay I'm a big girl now you guys, I have house troubles.
- I mean, it's not just his sort of behavior with little girls, but obviously big girls too, grown up women.
- But I think it's time for Sarah to put on her big girl pants.
- My daughter is now transitioning from her crib bed to a big girl bed and I get to build it for her.
- So yeah, it hurts me actually thinking that she's so far away from me, even though she's a big girl now, but it still hurts me.
- And, you know, big girls do do better in comedy.
- So we're going after those big boys, big girls, whatever they are.
- Normally I make Alfie do this but I'm a big girl and I can't do it.
- But it used to be like he went up to a big girl and he said you're a big girl, you're a big girl.
Examples
-
I want to say how proud I am of my big girl, Janice... who is today... a woman.
-
Well, that was then; now she was all grown up, big girl.
Fiction book (2000) -
There we go, my big girl.
-
Out in the hall was the big girl from the ladies' room and two of her friends.
Fiction book (1990) -
I prefer to know the truth, put on my big girl pants, and get ready!
Blog text (8) -
She must be a big girl by now.
-
Irma is a big girl now.
-
Well, Connie, you are a big girl now, and I am going to tell you everything you want to know.
Fiction book (2001) -
Now that you're six, maybe Mama will give you an allowance, just like the big girls.
Fiction book (1995) -
She is becoming a big girl who can handle her responsibilities.
Synonyms
487
1.0
A girl or young woman in her teens to early twenties
131
2.3
A person who is an adult, not a child
64
1.1
A person who is an adult and not a child
Antonyms
How Mature
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a girl who has reached a stage of maturity' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'big' (older/larger/more mature) with 'girl' (a female child/person). This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can typically infer the intended sense (though pragmatic nuances like sarcasm or affectionate use may vary).
Etymology
Big girl may come from the simple image of a child who is now big and so is given more duties. Calling someone a big girl told them to be 'responsible' or act like a 'grown-up', so today it means a girl who is more grown-up and can take care of herself.