the big guns
plural noun
informal
: the most powerful people, companies, organizations, etc.
They called in the big guns to deal with the problem.
Examples of the big guns in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As for the rest of the big guns, William Kidd, Charles Vane, Bonnet, Rackham and Olivier Levasseur were all executed by hanging.
—
Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024
Will the military continue trying to quash the rebellion and bring out the big guns, like tactical nukes?
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
As the final audition for season 22, Gagnon brought out the big guns.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2024
So Ben’s dad gets involved, calling in the big guns in the form of Knox (real-life UFC fighter Conor McGregor), one of the more gleefully unhinged villains in recent memory.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Major Serhii Bets, 30, the chief of staff of the 48th Separate Rifle Battalion of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, said that the drones were an effective tool but could not be compared with the big guns.
—Marc Santora Tyler Hicks, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024
Chandor brings out the big guns to play his team of military men, enlisting an ensemble composed of Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2024
Since both of those rosters overlapped on the big guns (The Hunger Games, The Eras Tour, Five Nights at Freddy’s), the differentiating factor turned out to be Cruz’s selection of Trolls Band Together, which crossed the $50 million threshold this past weekend and has pulled in 84 total points.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Nov. 2023
No less effective for artistic expression, just shorter-lasting than the big guns, shaving sprays and stickers were easy street art flexes.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 31 Oct. 2023
Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024
Will the military continue trying to quash the rebellion and bring out the big guns, like tactical nukes?
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 13 Apr. 2024
As the final audition for season 22, Gagnon brought out the big guns.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2024
So Ben’s dad gets involved, calling in the big guns in the form of Knox (real-life UFC fighter Conor McGregor), one of the more gleefully unhinged villains in recent memory.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Major Serhii Bets, 30, the chief of staff of the 48th Separate Rifle Battalion of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, said that the drones were an effective tool but could not be compared with the big guns.
—Marc Santora Tyler Hicks, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024
Chandor brings out the big guns to play his team of military men, enlisting an ensemble composed of Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2024
Since both of those rosters overlapped on the big guns (The Hunger Games, The Eras Tour, Five Nights at Freddy’s), the differentiating factor turned out to be Cruz’s selection of Trolls Band Together, which crossed the $50 million threshold this past weekend and has pulled in 84 total points.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Nov. 2023
No less effective for artistic expression, just shorter-lasting than the big guns, shaving sprays and stickers were easy street art flexes.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 31 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the big guns.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“The big guns.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20big%20guns. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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