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 Indiana is a reliably red state: On election night, the Associated Press called the big-ticket races for all Republicans, declaring wins for governor-elect Braun and President-elect Donald Trump within minutes of the state's last polls closing. —Holly V. Hays, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Dec. 2024

This comes in handy especially for electronics or other big-ticket items. —Erika Kullberg, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024

By the time the smoke cleared, Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ruben Neves, Neymar and many more were on their way to the kingdom to join Ronaldo, an earlier big-ticket signing. —Matt Slater, The Athletic, 14 Dec. 2024

In turn, the rate decision poses little risk of boosting demand for big-ticket items, like homes, which make up prices most immediately sensitive to lower rates. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined at sense 1