Meaning & use
big game
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Meanings
noununcountable
Large wild animals, such as lions or elephants, that people hunt or watch for sport.
Grammar: No plural and no article: he hunted big game.
Patterns
- hunt big game
- big game reserve
Early visitors to Africa traveled mainly to hunt big game.
The national park protects big game from poachers.
He wrote a memoir about his years as a big game guide.
nouncountableinformalAmerican
A very important sporting match, especially one that decides a championship or involves major rivals.
Grammar: Takes a: the big game is on Saturday.
Patterns
- the big game
- a big game against someone
The whole town gathered to watch the big game on Friday night.
She was nervous before the big game.
Tickets for the big game sold out in minutes.
Word forms
| plural | big games |
|---|
Common combinations
- hunt big game
- They traveled to hunt big game in the savanna.
- big game fishing
- Big game fishing is popular off the coast.
- big game hunter
- He was a famous big game hunter.
- win the big game
- The team won the big game by one point.
- watch the big game
- We always watch the big game together.
Synonyms and how they differ
- large animals
- This is plain and neutral and does not imply hunting.
- trophy animals
- This refers to animals sought as hunting trophies and is more critical in tone.
- championship match
- This is formal and specific to a title decider, where big game is more casual.
- final
- A final is the last match of a competition, whereas a big game may simply be a major or rival match.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: big game or large game?
big game vs large game
Large game is not a fixed phrase; the usual term is big game.
Practice
The reserve is famous for its _____, including elephants, lions and rhinos.
Choose one answer.
Big game is the set phrase for large wild animals. Big match refers to a sports event.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “big game”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.