We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Language

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is a "Big Hitter"?

By A. Leverkuhn
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 5,774
References
Share

When people talk about a "big hitter," an idiomatic phrase in English language, they are referring to someone who is important, someone who is respected and has a good reputation within a particular field or community. This is just one of several idioms using the word “big” to generally mean important, associated with various positive adjectives like well-known or successful, or in command of many people and resources. This phrase seems to have come from an allegory to the sport of baseball, where a big hitter is a player who is known for hitting home runs or associated with strong performance.

In general, those who are referring to a person with a lot of power or importance may call that person a big hitter, a big fish, or a big cahuna. These are all idiomatic phrases with similar meanings. In calling someone a “big fish”, the speaker is often referring to a longer phrase “a big fish in a small pond” which is used to refer to someone at the top of their industry or at the forefront of their field, or again, someone with the most controlling interest in business, political power, or similar influence.

Using the phrase “a big hitter” is not the only way that English speakers can use idioms drawn from baseball. For example, someone might say that a person “hit it out of the park” if they were successful with a project. Alternately, they might call a successful project or proposal a “home run.” Someone who fails to close a deal may be said to have "stuck out." These figurative phrases are among the most common in the American business world.

Although many people think of the phrase “a big hitter” as related to baseball, some word historians argue that the phrase actually may have originated from the sport of boxing. Here, a heavy hitter would be a fighter who is able to hit hard and knock down an opponent. Some reference materials have linked this phrase to boxing and dated its origin in the 1900s.

Some linguists look at phrases like “big hitter” as a way of assessing the sociological relationships within a community, and how they are expressed through language. For instance, considering who gets the title “big hitter” and why they are so-called can reveal a lot about the values of a community. This kind of mixture of linguistics and sociology helps researchers to understand a society through its own voice, and to provide more definition of its distinctive features.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Link to Sources

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-big-hitter.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.