as in major league
the highest level of a field of endeavor
a candidate who is running for president is playing in the bigs and cannot afford to make major mistakes
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Recent Examples of bigs
Booker stood up to the Boilermakers’ bigs, blocking three shots of his own, playing a season-high 35 minutes three days after being iced out of the rotation against the Buckeyes.
—
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Adding Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder gives the Cavs the deepest back court in the East, and if Harden’s play-making can elevate Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop bigs, the Cavs could be the team best positioned to spoil New York’s championship run.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Head coach Joe Mazzulla has favored Williams over veteran reserve bigs Xavier Tillman and Chris Boucher in recent weeks, using him as the team’s third center behind Neemias Queta and Luka Garza.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Feed the bigs One thing the Horned Frogs have figured it out is how dynamic their frontcourt duo of junior Xavier Edmonds and sophomore David Punch has become.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Feb. 2026
With his entire frontcourt back this season, Golden made a similar decision as May at Michigan, starting three bigs together.
—Cj Moore, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Simmons had a heroic night with eight points and eight rebounds, playing much of it as an undersized 5-man with Magoon Gwath injured and the other bigs in foul trouble.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Our guards got to do a better job of attacking their bigs, and then our bigs got to do a better job of scoring on their guards and taking advantage of those mismatches.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
Starting and closing with both bigs presents a grueling workload for the two centers.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2026
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Adding Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder gives the Cavs the deepest back court in the East, and if Harden’s play-making can elevate Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop bigs, the Cavs could be the team best positioned to spoil New York’s championship run.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Head coach Joe Mazzulla has favored Williams over veteran reserve bigs Xavier Tillman and Chris Boucher in recent weeks, using him as the team’s third center behind Neemias Queta and Luka Garza.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Feed the bigs One thing the Horned Frogs have figured it out is how dynamic their frontcourt duo of junior Xavier Edmonds and sophomore David Punch has become.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Feb. 2026
With his entire frontcourt back this season, Golden made a similar decision as May at Michigan, starting three bigs together.
—Cj Moore, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Simmons had a heroic night with eight points and eight rebounds, playing much of it as an undersized 5-man with Magoon Gwath injured and the other bigs in foul trouble.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
Our guards got to do a better job of attacking their bigs, and then our bigs got to do a better job of scoring on their guards and taking advantage of those mismatches.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
Starting and closing with both bigs presents a grueling workload for the two centers.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bigs
Noun
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President Paul DePodesta and Byrnes have established a vision for success, adding multiple major league players and implementing philosophical changes in the minors.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
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New additions include former players LaTroy Hawkins and Grady Sizemore, as well as bench coaches Mark Hallberg and Mike Rabelo, major league field coordinator Toby Gardenhire and new lead hitting coach Keith Beauregard.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Franklin was also an entrepreneur and partial owner of multiple establishments, including Garfield 502, on West Garfield Ave.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Eviction of foreign establishments.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Earmarks are back on Capitol Hill — big time.—
Jamie Dupree,
AJC.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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And someone who tries out and makes it, who is a transgender girl, will bump someone from the starting lineup, from playing time, from the team, from the all-league [honors], and those things matter to people, big time.—
Gwen Faulkenberry,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bigs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bigs. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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