English Explanatory Dictionary

big cheese

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A very important figure, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.

Pronunciation

en-au-big cheese.ogg

Word forms

big cheese big cheeses

Etymology

From big + cheese (“wealth, fame, importance”). Earliest use to mean importance from 1910.

Synonyms

baron big cheese big enchilada big gun big kahuna big man big name big noise big shot bigwig big wheel boss grand poobah head honcho heavy hitter heavyweight high muckamuck high muckety-muck king of all one surveys king of the castle king of the hill kingpin macher mayor muckamuck muckety muck mugwump numero uno panjandrum poobah rooster somebody top banana top boy top cat top dog top gun very important person VIP wheel

Derived words

grand fromage
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