big gun
9
5.1
- noun
- /bɪɡ ɡʌn/
- Informal
:
pez gordo
- We often envision influencers only as "big guns" on the social web that can drive change through tweets, blog posts, etc.
- bring in the big guns
- call in the big guns
- pull out the big guns
And so, guys, we brought in the big guns for this.
- And so, guys, we brought in the big guns for this.
- I think, you know, as we get into the final straight, they are going to be bombarded by those big guns.
- It continued with George W Bush, So and, and, and Barney Frank and Chris Dodd were two big guns who are pushing it as well.
Examples
-
The EU technocrats have finally pulled out the big guns!
Blog text (6) -
Bring out the 'big guns' and you'll surely find success.
Blog text (21) -
And so, guys, we brought in the big guns for this.
-
Time to bring out the big guns!
-
It's time to bring out the big guns.
-
We need to pull out the big guns.
-
Send in some big guns with big names.
Blog text (16) -
The union is pulling out all the big guns today, huh?
-
Our mission is quite simple: help the little guy compete with the big guns.
Blog text (21) -
To win the election, they called in the big gun: their most experienced campaign strategist.
Synonyms
126
4.0
A very important and influential person in a field
91
3.9
A person who is important and powerful in a job or field
43
3.5
A famous and important person or group in one area
37
3.8
An important person who is treated as successful or powerful
35
6.8
A very important event, thing, or person that matters a lot
29
3.8
A person or company that has a lot of power in a field
22
6.9
An important person with power in a company or group
14
3.6
An important person in a group or organization who has power
12
4.9
A person who has a lot of power and influence in a field
9
6.3
A person who is in charge of a company or group
8
5.3
A person who is very important in a group or company
4
9.5
A very important person in a group or organization, often the most powerful
4
7.5
A very large, strong, or important person like a leader
2
7.4
A very large and powerful person or company that beats others easily
2
6.7
A person who is very important and powerful in a group
1
8.1
An important person who makes key decisions for a group
1
8.6
An important person with power in a group or area
1
5.6
An important person who has a lot of power in a group
1
8.9
An important person in charge who people call jokingly
1
8.2
A very large and powerful company or group that dominates its field
A joking name for a person who has great power in a group
Antonyms
How Important
Surface Forms
Morphology
big + gun
The phrase combines 'big' (large/important) with 'gun' (a weapon), so there is a plausible metaphorical link to power or influence that a learner could guess. However, the idiomatic sense 'an important or influential person' is a figurative extension rather than a direct compositional meaning, so a B1 learner who merely knows the words may not reliably infer the exact intended sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Big gun comes from old battles, where a big gun was a large cannon and the most powerful weapon. So calling someone a big gun compares them to that strong weapon and means 'an important or powerful person'.