BIG FISH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does big fish mean? 

• BIG FISH (noun)
  The noun BIG FISH has 1 sense:

1. an important influential person

  Familiarity information: BIG FISH used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BIG FISH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An important influential person

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

big cheese; big deal; big enchilada; big fish; big gun; big shot; big wheel; head honcho

Context example:

the Qaeda commander is a very big fish

Hypernyms ("big fish" is a kind of...):

important person; influential person; personage (a person whose actions and opinions strongly influence the course of events)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "big fish"):

knocker ((Yiddish) a big shot who knows it and acts that way; a boastful immoderate person)

supremo (the most important person in an organization)

 Context examples 

We should get the big fish, but the smaller would dart right and left out of the net.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Being able to predict the future of mercury levels in fish has been difficult to answer because, until now, we didn't have a good understanding of why methylmercury levels were so high in big fish, said Amina Schartup, first author of the paper.

(Mercury levels in fish are on the rise, National Science Foundation)

The little man had been sitting there fishing, and unluckily the wind had tangled up his beard with the fishing-line; a moment later a big fish made a bite and the feeble creature had not strength to pull it out; the fish kept the upper hand and pulled the dwarf towards him.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Mr. Cutter was in a hurry and said 'No', rather crossly, so she was going away, looking hungry and sorry, when Mr. Laurence hooked up a big fish with the crooked end of his cane and held it out to her.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)