Big money
is an amount of money that seems very large to you, especially money which you get easily. □
They began to make big money during the war.
bi
g mouth
(
big mouths
) N‑COUNT
If you say that someone is a
big mouth
or that they have a
big mouth,
you mean that they tell other people things that should have been kept secret. [INFORMAL
, DISAPPROVAL
] □
I've got a big mouth which I always manage to put my foot in.
bi
g na
me
(
big names
) N‑COUNT
A
big name
is a person who is successful and famous because of their work. □ [+ in
]
…all the big names in rock and pop.
bi
g noi
se
(
big noises
) N‑COUNT
Someone who is a
big noise
has an important position in a group or organization. [BRIT
, INFORMAL
]
big|ot
/b
I
gət/ (bigots
) N‑COUNT
If you describe someone as a
bigot
, you mean that they are bigoted. [DISAPPROVAL
]
big|ot|ed
/b
I
gət
I
d/ ADJ
Someone who is
bigoted
has strong, unreasonable prejudices or opinions and will not change them, even when they are proved to be wrong. [DISAPPROVAL
] □
He was bigoted and racist.
big|ot|ry
/b
I
gətri/ N‑UNCOUNT
Bigotry
is the possession or expression of strong, unreasonable prejudices or opinions. [DISAPPROVAL
] □
He deplored religious bigotry.
bi
g scree
n
N‑SING
When people talk about
the big screen
, they are referring to films that are made for cinema rather than for television. □
She returns to the big screen to play Candy's overbearing mother, Rose.
bi
g shot
(
big shots
) N‑COUNT
A
big shot
is an important and powerful person in a group or organization. [INFORMAL
] □
He's a big shot in Chilean politics.
bi
g-ticket
ADJ
[ADJ
n] If you describe something as a
big-ticket
item, you mean that it costs a lot of money. [mainly AM
] □
Supercomputers are big-ticket items.
bi
g time
also
big-time
1
ADJ
[usu ADJ
n] You can use
big time
to refer to the highest level of an activity or sport where you can achieve the greatest amount of success or importance. If you describe a person as
big time
, you mean they are successful and important. [INFORMAL
] □
He took a long time to settle in to big-time football.
□
…a big-time investment banker.
2
N‑SING
If someone hits
the big time
, they become famous or successful in a particular area of activity. [INFORMAL
] □
He has finally fulfilled his dreams and hit the big time.
3
ADV
[ADV
after v] You can use
big time
if you want to emphasize the importance or extent of something that has happened. [AM
, INFORMAL
, EMPHASIS
] □
They screwed things up big time.
□
America lost big-time.
bi
g toe
(
big toes
) N‑COUNT
Your
big toe
is the largest toe on your foot.
bi
g top
N‑SING
The large round tent that a circus uses for its performances is called the
big top
.
bi
g whee
l
(
big wheels
) N‑COUNT
A
big wheel
is a very large upright wheel with carriages around the edge of it which people can ride in. Big wheels are often found at theme parks or fun fairs. [BRIT
]
in AM, use ferris wheel
big|wig
/b
I
gw
I
g/ (bigwigs
) N‑COUNT
If you refer to an important person as a
bigwig
, you are being rather disrespectful about them. [INFORMAL
, DISAPPROVAL
]
bi|jou
/biː
ʒuː/ ADJ
[ADJ
n] Small houses are sometimes described as
bijou
houses in order to make them sound attractive or fashionable. □
…a bijou Mayfair flat.
bike
◆◇◇ /ba
I
k/ (bikes
, biking
, biked
)
1
N‑COUNT
A
bike
is a bicycle or a motorcycle. [INFORMAL
]
2
VERB
To
bike
somewhere means to go there on a bicycle. [INFORMAL
] □ [V
adv/prep]
I biked home from the beach.
bi
ke la
ne
(
bike lanes
) N‑COUNT
A
bike lane
is a part of the road which is intended to be used only by people riding bicycles.
bik|er
/ba
I
kə
r
/ (bikers
)
1
N‑COUNT
Bikers
are people who ride around on motorbikes, usually in groups.
2
N‑COUNT
People who ride bicycles are called
bikers
. [AM
]
in BRIT, use cyclist
bike|way
/ba
I
kwe
I
/ (bikeways
) N‑COUNT
A
bikeway
is a road, route, or path intended for use by cyclists. [AUSTRALIAN
]