big-ticket

adjective

big-tick·​et ˈbig-ˈti-kət 

1

: having a high price

the car was a big-ticket item

2

: having great importance or prominence : major

The founders had hoped to address three big-ticket issues: the environment, nuclear weapons, and Middle East peace.

—David Corn

Synonyms

• costly
• dear
• expensive
• extravagant
• high
• high-end
• high-ticket
• precious
• premium
• priceless
• pricey
• pricy
• spendy [chiefly Northwest]
• ultraexpensive
• valuable

Examples of big-ticket in a Sentence

with the tough economy, fewer people are likely to be making big-ticket purchases

Recent Examples on the Web

But Curve focuses primarily on aggregating cards and does not yet provide the breadth of lending, insurance, and big-ticket financing that a super app would. —Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Other Boulder venues include the beloved and beautiful Macky Auditorium, a concert hall that seats more than 2,000 and could become the city’s version of the Eccles for big-ticket premieres. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2025

At some point, though, Baltimore’s decision-makers figure to address a few of the big-ticket items. —Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

Now through Monday, March 31, shoppers can save up to 76 percent on patio furniture, spring fashion, big-ticket electronics, and other finds across categories. —Isabel Garcia, People.com, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for big-ticket

• chicot
• cricket
• picket
• picot
• thicket
• ticket
• wicket