Big Ben

noun

1
: a large bell in the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London
2
: the tower that houses Big Ben
also : the clock in the tower

Examples of Big Ben in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The course, mostly flat, starts near Blackheath in Greenwich and goes along the River Thames, crossing the Tower Bridge, passing Big Ben and the London Eye and finishing in front of Buckingham Palace. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025 Heard Island is 80 percent covered by ice and features a large massif, or compact group of mountains, called Big Ben that has an active volcano called Mawson Peak at its summit. Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2025 The Australian Antarctic Program says the highest level of activity at Heard Island — which is dominated by an active volcano named Big Ben — happens during Australian Antarctic Science expeditions, which occur about every three years and last only a few months. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 3 Apr. 2025 Fireworks erupted over Westminster and Big Ben along the River Thames. Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 1 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Big Ben

Word History

Etymology

Sir Benjamin Hall †1867 English Chief Commissioner of Works

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Big Ben was in 1859

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Big Ben.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Big%20Ben. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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