From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisha/the big wheela/the big wheel informal an important person He became a big wheel in the East India Company. → wheel
Examples from the Corpus
a/the big wheel• Back down the beach, the Big Wheel was turning and there were even queues waiting to get on.• You will also catch a glimpse of the Big Wheel in the famous Peter fairground.• Ahead of them, they could see the Big Wheel turning against a sky streaked with red and grey.• They came to steal a Big Wheel tricycle.• He was sitting in the little hut where you bought your tickets to get on to the Big Wheel.• Because this was the contraption's trial run, it was to be driven manually by turning the big wheel.• He was a big wheel in Bucharest Securitate, Mr Manescu.• The boys then allegedly put the infant on another bed and fled with the Big Wheel, police said. 