English Help Online's Blog

Today’s expression is one that is often used in casual conversations: “big time”. It is used to emphasize something that we have just said and say that the situation is bigger than someone might think. For example:

After I got married, my life changed big time! Now I can’t go drinking with my friends every weekend.

A: Are your neighbors noisy?

B: Oh yeah! Big time! I’ve complained to my landlord several times about them.

I failed that test big time! I only got 15%!

My brother hasn’t called my mother for a few weeks, and that is really unusual for him. She’s worried about him big time!

So, “big time” basically means “really, really”. So when I say, “My life changed big time!”, I mean, “My life didn’t just change a little, it really, really changed!” Or if I say, “I failed that test big time!”, I mean, “I didn’t just fail that test by a small amount, I really, really failed it!”.

I hope that’s clear to everyone. We only use this expression in casual conversations and, generally speaking, only people in their 40s or younger use it.