Meanings
plural big cheeses
- datedidiomaticA very important figure, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.
He’ll be meeting with the big cheese first thing tomorrow, to present his proposal.
2 more examples
I know. But it's his ship now, his command; he's in charge, he's the boss, the head man, the top dog, the big cheese, the head honcho, number one...
1980, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Airplane!, spoken by Rex Kramer (Robert Stack)If not for all these bills and taxes, our income would more than suffice. I feel like a real big cheese, until everybody takes a slice!
1995, “Where The Money Goes”, in Rich Mendoza (music), Money Rock, performed by Schoolhouse Rock!/Jack SheldonSynonyms: baron, big enchilada, big gun, big kahuna, big man, big name, big noise, big shot
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA very important figure, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan important influential person
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From big + cheese (“wealth, fame, importance”). Earliest use to mean importance from 1910.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 大人物, 要人
- 大人物 (dàrénwù)very important figure
- 要人 (yàorén)very important figure
- 權勢之人 /权势之人 (quánshìzhīrén)very important figure
- 大腕兒 /大腕儿 (dàwànr)very important figure
- 頭面人物 /头面人物 (tóumiànrénwù)very important figure
- 龍頭老大 /龙头老大 (lóngtóulǎodà)very important figure
Czech velké zvíře, borec
- velké zvířevery important figure
- borecvery important figure
- frajervery important figure
- frajervery important figure
- machrvery important figure
- bourákvery important figure
- hlavounvery important figure
Dutch bobo, hoge piet
- bobovery important figure
- hoge pietvery important figure
- bovenbaasvery important figure
Finnish iso kiho
- iso kihovery important figure
French big boss, grand chef
- big bossvery important figure
- grand chefvery important figure
- grosse légumevery important figure
- gros bonnetvery important figure
- huilevery important figure
- bonzevery important figure
German hohes Tier, Bonze
- hohes Tiervery important figure
- Bonzevery important figure
- dicker Fischvery important figure
Hungarian nagykutya, főmufti
- nagykutyavery important figure
- főmuftivery important figure
- fejesvery important figure
Irish boc mór
- boc mórvery important figure
Italian pezzo grosso, capo
- pezzo grossovery important figure
- capovery important figure
- pezzo da novantavery important figure
- pezzonovantevery important figure
- VIPvery important figure
- papaverovery important figure
- bigvery important figure
- notabilevery important figure
- capocciavery important figure
- barbassorovery important figure
Japanese 大物, 巨擘
- 大物 (ōmono)very important figure
- 巨擘 (kyohaku)very important figure
- 要人 (yōjin)very important figure
Polish gruba ryba, szycha
- gruba rybavery important figure
- szychavery important figure
- rekinvery important figure
Portuguese figurão, bambambã
- figurãovery important figure
- bambambãvery important figure
Russian больша́я ши́шка, ва́жная ши́шка
- больша́я ши́шка (bolʹšája šíška)very important figure
- ва́жная ши́шка (vážnaja šíška)very important figure
- ва́жная пти́ца (vážnaja ptíca)very important figure
- ва́жная персо́на (vážnaja persóna)very important figure
- большо́й нача́льник (bolʹšój načálʹnik)very important figure
- ши́шка (šíška)very important figure
Spanish pez gordo, cerote gordo
- pez gordovery important figure
- cerote gordovery important figure
- gerifaltevery important figure
- última chupada del mangovery important figure
- alto cargovery important figure
Swedish höjdare, pamp
- höjdarevery important figure
- pampvery important figure
Tagalog malaking tao
- malaking taovery important figure
Ukrainian цабе́, ця́ця
- цабе́ (cabé)very important figure
- ця́ця (cjácja)very important figure
- вели́ка ця́ця (velýka cjácja)very important figure
- важли́вий птах (važlývyj ptax)very important figure
- ва́жний птах (vážnyj ptax)very important figure
- важли́ва пти́ця (važlýva ptýcja)very important figure
- ва́жна пти́ця (vážna ptýcja)very important figure
- ши́шка (šýška)very important figure
Welsh pwysigyn
- pwysigynvery important figure
Cite this entry
big cheese. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20cheese
“big cheese.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20cheese. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “big cheese,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20cheese.
Source: big cheese on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.