From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
big
adv 1: extremely well; "his performance went over big"
2: in a boastful manner; "he talked big all evening" [syn:
boastfully, vauntingly, big, large]
3: on a grand scale; "think big" [ant: small]
4: in a major way; "the play failed big at the box office"
adj 1: above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude
or extent; "a large city"; "set out for the big city"; "a
large sum"; "a big (or large) barn"; "a large family";
"big businesses"; "a big expenditure"; "a large number of
newspapers"; "a big group of scientists"; "large areas of
the world" [syn: large, big] [ant: little, small]
2: significant; "graduation was a big day in his life"
3: very intense; "a bad headache"; "in a big rage"; "had a big
(or bad) shock"; "a bad earthquake"; "a bad storm" [syn:
bad, big]
4: loud and firm; "a big voice"; "big bold piano sounds"
5: conspicuous in position or importance; "a big figure in the
movement"; "big man on campus"; "he's very large in financial
circles"; "a prominent citizen" [syn: big, large,
prominent]
6: prodigious; "big spender"; "big eater"; "heavy investor"
[syn: {big(a)}, {heavy(a)}]
7: exhibiting self-importance; "big talk" [syn: boastful,
{braggart(a)}, {bragging(a)}, braggy, big, cock-a-hoop,
crowing, self-aggrandizing, self-aggrandising]
8: feeling self-importance; "too big for his britches"; "had a
swelled head"; "he was swelled with pride" [syn: big,
swelled, vainglorious]
9: (of animals) fully developed; "an adult animal"; "a grown
woman" [syn: adult, big, full-grown, fully grown,
grown, grownup]
10: marked by intense physical force; "a big wind"
11: generous and understanding and tolerant; "a heart big enough
to hold no grudges"; "that's very big of you to be so
forgiving"; "a large and generous spirit"; "a large heart";
"magnanimous toward his enemies" [syn: big, large,
magnanimous]
12: given or giving freely; "was a big tipper"; "the bounteous
goodness of God"; "bountiful compliments"; "a freehanded
host"; "a handsome allowance"; "Saturday's child is loving
and giving"; "a liberal backer of the arts"; "a munificent
gift"; "her fond and openhanded grandfather" [syn: big,
bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, freehanded,
handsome, giving, liberal, openhanded]
13: in an advanced stage of pregnancy; "was big with child";
"was great with child" [syn: {big(p)}, enceinte,
expectant, gravid, {great(p)}, {large(p)}, {heavy(p)},
{with child(p)}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Big \Big\ (b[i^]g), a. [Compar. Bigger; superl. Biggest.]
[Perh. from Celtic; cf. W. beichiog, beichiawg, pregnant,
with child, fr. baich burden, Arm. beac'h; or cf. OE. bygly,
Icel. biggiligr, (properly) habitable; (then) magnigicent,
excellent, fr. OE. biggen, Icel. byggja, to dwell, build,
akin to E. be.]
1. Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of
great size; large. "He's too big to go in there." --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth
or produce; -- often figuratively.
[1913 Webster]
[Day] big with the fate of Cato and of Rome.
--Addison.
[1913 Webster]
3. Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation,
distention, etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a
big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big. As applied
to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride.
[1913 Webster]
God hath not in heaven a bigger argument. --Jer.
Taylor.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Big is often used in self-explaining compounds; as,
big-boned; big-sounding; big-named; big-voiced.
[1913 Webster]
To talk big, to talk loudly, arrogantly, or pretentiously.
[1913 Webster]
I talked big to them at first. --De Foe.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: Bulky; large; great; massive; gross.
[1913 Webster] Big
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Big \Big\, Bigg \Bigg\, v. t. [OE. biggen, fr. Icel. byggja to
inhabit, to build, b?a (neut.) to dwell (active) to make
ready. See Boor, and Bound.]
To build. [Scot. & North of Eng. Dial.] --Sir W. Scott.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Big \Big\, Bigg \Bigg\, n. [OE. bif, bigge; akin to Icel. bygg,
Dan. byg, Sw. bjugg.] (Bot.)
Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind.
[1913 Webster]
"Bear interchanges in local use, now with barley, now
with bigg." --New English
Dict.
[1913 Webster] Big