Meanings
- idiomaticuncountableStatements which are boastful or exaggerated.
In an industry built on big talk and swagger, Bank of America's Kenneth Lewis is an anomaly.
2008 January 17, “The Savior of Countrywide?”, in TIME, archived from the original on 14 Feb 20132 more examples
"Me, I just dropped in to hear yore big talk. Reminds me of old Geronimo. Like you, he gets all filled up with words about every so often and has to steam off. Go ahead, Gurley. Don't let me interrupt you. Make heap oration."
1919, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 14, in Oh, You Tex!Classmates remembered him as brash and jug-eared and full of big talk about his sexual experience.
2007 November 11, Charles McGrath, “Norman Mailer, Towering Writer With a Matching Ego, Dies at 84”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Feb 2021, retrieved 09 Sep 2012Synonyms: big words, braggadocio
- idiomaticuncountableMajor topic of conversation; current gossip.
At the annual livestock convention in Toronto's Royal York Hotel last week, the big talk was about Holsteins.
1949 February 14, “Canada: Los Holsteinos”, in TIME, archived from the original on 19 Sep 20121 more example
"The big talk of the street at the moment is that the Fed will raise the discount rate 50 basis points," said Kenneth Ducey.
1994 August 12, “3-Day Stock Rally Ends As Dow Retreats 15.86”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 04 Feb 2018, retrieved 09 Sep 2012Synonyms: the buzz
Synonyms & antonyms
nounStatements which are boastful or exaggerated.
nounMajor topic of conversation; current gossip.
Origin
Compare Old English micelsprecende [lit. "much speaking"] ("boasting").
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
big talk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20talk
“big talk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20talk. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “big talk,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/big%20talk.
Source: big talk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.