big fish
Britishnoun
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an important or powerful person
-
the most important or powerful person in a small group
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“She always said she’d rather be a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big pond,” said her daughter, Melissa Davitt-Smith.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026
The first arrests in connection with the scandal -- eight members of the country's Department of Public Works and Highways -- were announced only days ago, with the government promising "big fish are coming soon".
From Barron's • Nov. 30, 2025
García Luna was a big fish ready to be fried in Brooklyn.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2025
Richardson was a good example, which he said was especially common in Wales, of being "the big fish in a small pond".
From BBC • May 4, 2024
On to the fish questions: Why was the little fish hiding from the big fish?
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
