big gun: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
MediumInformal, colloquial, idiomatic.
Quick answer
What does “big gun” mean?
A person or thing with great power, influence, or effectiveness in a particular field.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A person or thing with great power, influence, or effectiveness in a particular field.
A person of great importance or authority who is called upon to solve a problem or achieve an important result. Also refers to large, powerful weapons or artillery in a literal military sense.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is identical in both varieties, with no significant lexical or grammatical differences.
Connotations
Connotations are the same: power, authority, and a final effort to achieve a result.
Frequency
Equally common in both British and American English in its metaphorical sense.
Grammar
How to Use “big gun” in a Sentence
to bring in the big gunsto call in the big gunsthe big guns of [industry/field]one of the big gunsa big gun inVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “big gun” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- They really big-gunned the presentation with a celebrity guest. (very informal/rare)
American English
- The campaign was big-gunned by a famous endorser. (very informal/rare)
adjective
British English
- It was a big-gun effort to secure the contract. (informal, hyphenated)
- The firm's big-gun partner attended the meeting.
American English
- He's the company's big-gun negotiator. (informal, hyphenated)
- We need a big-gun approach.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
"The merger talks stalled, so they brought in the big guns from head office."
Academic
"For the keynote, the conference organisers have secured one of the big guns in quantum physics."
Everyday
"I couldn't fix the sink, so I had to call in the big guns – my dad!"
Technical
"The team deployed the big guns of their server farm to handle the unprecedented data load."
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “big gun”
- Using it to describe a literal large firearm in non-military contexts (e.g., 'The hunter carried a big gun' is correct but not the main idiom).
- Confusing it with 'big mouth' (someone who talks too much).
- Using it as a direct adjective before a noun (e.g., 'He is a big-gun lawyer' is non-standard; use 'He is a big gun in law' or 'He is a big-gun lawyer' with a hyphen is marginally acceptable but rare).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is informal and idiomatic. It is not suitable for highly formal or academic writing.
Yes, though less commonly. It can metaphorically refer to a powerful tool, strategy, or piece of evidence (e.g., 'Their new software is the big gun in data analysis'). Its literal meaning is a large firearm.
A 'bigwig' is simply a very important person. A 'big gun' is specifically an important person (or thing) that is used as a powerful resource to achieve a goal. A bigwig has status; a big gun has applied power.
It is most commonly used in set phrases like 'bring in/call in the big guns' or in the pattern '[Subject] is a big gun in [field].' For example: 'She's a big gun in biotechnology.'
A person or thing with great power, influence, or effectiveness in a particular field.
Big gun: in British English it is pronounced /ˌbɪɡ ˈɡʌn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌbɪɡ ˈɡʌn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “bring out the big guns”
- “call in the big guns”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a pirate ship in trouble. The captain shouts, 'Bring out the BIG GUNS!' The biggest cannons are rolled out to win the battle. Similarly, in life, you 'bring out the big guns' when you need your most powerful person or tool to succeed.
Conceptual Metaphor
IMPORTANCE/POWER IS SIZE, PROBLEM-SOLVING IS WARFARE, PEOPLE ARE WEAPONS/TOOLS.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'big gun' LEAST likely to be used metaphorically?