Language has a clever way of expressing significance, and when it comes to describing someone or something important, English idioms shine with nuance and character.
Whether you’re talking about a decision that could change your life or a person who holds great influence, these idioms help articulate weight, prestige, and priority in the most colorful ways.
Idioms for Important
1. Big Cheese
Meaning: A powerful or important person.
In a Sentence: Ever since her promotion, she’s been the big cheese around the office, calling the shots and setting the tone for every meeting.
2. Top Dog
Meaning: The most important person in a group or organization.
In a Sentence: In the competitive tech world, everyone wants to be the top dog, leading the pack with innovation and influence.
3. The Real Deal
Meaning: Truly important, authentic, or legitimate.
In a Sentence: When the expert praised her work as the real deal, it solidified her status as a rising star in the art community.
4. Heavyweight
Meaning: Someone with a lot of power, influence, or importance.
In a Sentence: In international politics, she’s a heavyweight whose opinion carries enough weight to sway entire nations.
5. Bigwig
Meaning: An important person, especially in business or politics.
In a Sentence: The conference was buzzing with bigwigs from every major firm, each surrounded by a crowd of eager followers.
6. Big Deal
Meaning: Something or someone of great importance.
In a Sentence: Winning that award wasn’t just exciting—it was a big deal that transformed his career overnight.
7. Big Shot
Meaning: A person who is important or influential.
In a Sentence: He walks into the room like a big shot, always acting like everyone’s waiting to hear what he has to say.
8. Matter of Life and Death
Meaning: Extremely important or serious.
In a Sentence: To her, choosing the right university was a matter of life and death—it wasn’t just about academics, but about her future identity.
9. Pulling the Strings
Meaning: Being the person who controls or influences important decisions behind the scenes.
In a Sentence: Though she doesn’t appear in the spotlight, she’s clearly the one pulling the strings on every major decision.
10. Key Player
Meaning: A person or thing that plays an essential role in something important.
In a Sentence: As a key player in the negotiations, his words had the power to make or break the entire deal.
11. High and Mighty
Meaning: Acting or being considered as very important.
In a Sentence: Ever since she landed that high-profile client, she’s been walking around like she’s all high and mighty.
12. Call the Shots
Meaning: To be the one making the important decisions.
In a Sentence: When you’re the CEO, you’re the one who gets to call the shots, and every choice you make echoes across the entire company.
13. Carry Weight
Meaning: To be influential or important.
In a Sentence: His recommendations carry a lot of weight, especially when it comes to boardroom decisions.
14. The Main Man
Meaning: The most important person in a group.
In a Sentence: When disaster struck, everyone turned to him—he was the main man with the answers.
15. Make or Break
Meaning: Critically important; something that will determine success or failure.
In a Sentence: This presentation is the make-or-break moment of your career, so you better give it everything you’ve got.
16. Top of the Heap
Meaning: The best or most important in a group.
In a Sentence: After years of hard work, she finally rose to the top of the heap, earning admiration from her peers and mentors alike.
17. Big Fish in a Small Pond
Meaning: An important person in a small or limited environment.
In a Sentence: He left the city to return home, where he’s a big fish in a small pond—respected, needed, and never overlooked.
18. The Go-To Person
Meaning: Someone who is important because others rely on them.
In a Sentence: Whenever there’s a crisis, she’s the go-to person who everyone counts on for calm advice and clear action.
19. High Roller
Meaning: A person who is wealthy, influential, and important.
In a Sentence: The casino welcomed the high roller with open arms, rolling out the red carpet like he was royalty.
20. Shot Caller
Meaning: Someone who makes important decisions or is in control.
In a Sentence: Behind that relaxed smile is a shot caller who makes some of the most high-stakes moves in the industry.
21. The Heart and Soul
Meaning: The most essential and important part.
In a Sentence: She’s the heart and soul of our team—without her, everything would fall apart.
22. Name to Remember
Meaning: A person of growing importance.
In a Sentence: He may be new to the scene, but he’s a name to remember—mark my words, he’s going places.
23. Golden Child
Meaning: Someone considered very important and favored.
In a Sentence: Among the siblings, she’s always been the golden child—praised for her success and treated like royalty.
24. Top Priority
Meaning: The most important thing or person.
In a Sentence: Making sure my family is safe will always be my top priority, no matter what else is going on.
25. Kingpin
Meaning: The most important person in an organization or activity.
In a Sentence: Everyone knew he was the kingpin, the one who kept the entire operation running smoothly behind the scenes.
26. At the Helm
Meaning: In a position of control or leadership.
In a Sentence: With her at the helm, the company navigated the storm and emerged even stronger than before.
27. Of Great Significance
Meaning: Very important or meaningful.
In a Sentence: That conversation, though short, was of great significance in shaping how I viewed the entire situation.
28. The Backbone
Meaning: The most crucial support system.
In a Sentence: He’s the backbone of the whole operation—without his efforts, everything would collapse in a week.
29. The Power Behind the Throne
Meaning: The person who holds real power, though not always publicly visible.
In a Sentence: She may not have the title, but she’s the power behind the throne, guiding every important decision.
30. Matter of Great Concern
Meaning: Something considered very important and worrying.
In a Sentence: Climate change is a matter of great concern, one that affects us all in deep and urgent ways.
31. The Anchor
Meaning: Someone or something that provides stability and is essential.
In a Sentence: Through all the chaos, he remained the anchor, holding everyone steady with his calm presence.
32. Pillar of the Community
Meaning: An important and respected member of a group or town.
In a Sentence: Known for his generosity and wisdom, he’s become a pillar of the community people look up to.
33. Keystone
Meaning: The essential part that holds everything together.
In a Sentence: That final piece of evidence was the keystone that brought clarity to the entire case.
34. Crown Jewel
Meaning: The most prized or important part.
In a Sentence: That breakthrough project became the crown jewel of her portfolio, admired by clients worldwide.
35. Front and Center
Meaning: In a place of importance or visibility.
In a Sentence: His work was placed front and center at the exhibition, proving its value and significance.
36. The Ace
Meaning: The best or most important person at a task.
In a Sentence: In every emergency, she’s the ace we count on—reliable, quick, and accurate.
37. Dealbreaker
Meaning: A crucial point or issue that defines importance in a decision.
In a Sentence: For me, honesty is a dealbreaker—if it’s missing, there’s no deal at all.
38. Big Gun
Meaning: A person with a lot of influence or importance.
In a Sentence: They brought in the big guns to handle the merger, and she turned the whole situation around in days.
39. On the Map
Meaning: Made something or someone important or well-known.
In a Sentence: That viral moment put her on the map, and now everyone wants a piece of her brilliance.
40. The Fulcrum
Meaning: The central point of activity or importance.
In a Sentence: That decision became the fulcrum upon which the entire company’s future tilted.
41. Holding Court
Meaning: Being the center of attention or importance.
In a Sentence: At the party, he was holding court, surrounded by admirers and soaking up the spotlight.
42. On a Pedestal
Meaning: Treated as very important or idealized.
In a Sentence: He’s always placed her on a pedestal, thinking she could do no wrong.
43. The Glue that Holds It Together
Meaning: The essential element keeping everything functioning.
In a Sentence: Even when things fall apart, she’s the glue that holds it all together with grace and grit.
44. Prime Mover
Meaning: The main force behind an action or change.
In a Sentence: He was the prime mover of the entire initiative, pushing boundaries and creating impact everywhere he went.
Conclusion
From big cheeses to prime movers, idioms for important help us paint vibrant portraits of people and decisions that truly matter. They remind us that influence comes in many forms—from being the glue that keeps things together to the top dog who steers the ship. So, whether you’re calling the shots or simply a keystone in someone’s journey, language has the perfect idiom to honor your place in the story.