big unknown
noun
chiefly US
: the important thing that everyone would like to know
The big unknown is how investors will react.
Examples of big unknown in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One big unknown, following the death of the penny, lay in how retailers might handle the math of rounding off cash transactions.
—
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
And the cost of the sixth Grand Sport was a rather big unknown, since the automaker wasn’t ready to share those details when the vehicle made its debut last month.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2026
But the price sensitivity of consumers for weight loss drugs remains a big unknown, which makes greater volumes and more access points important.
—Annika Kim Constantino,elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
The big unknown is how many tickets — and, more importantly, what tickets — will be available.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The new tracking method may also help answer the big unknown of how much space debris actually reaches the surface of Earth.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The big unknown, of course, is how long Trump is willing to stay selling the idea, and whether Republicans will bend to his predilections.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
The big unknown is the fate of Iran’s huge stockpile of uranium—some four hundred kilograms—which had been enriched before the war.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Another big unknown: What is the virus doing in the sanctuary site?
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
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Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
And the cost of the sixth Grand Sport was a rather big unknown, since the automaker wasn’t ready to share those details when the vehicle made its debut last month.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2026
But the price sensitivity of consumers for weight loss drugs remains a big unknown, which makes greater volumes and more access points important.
—Annika Kim Constantino,elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
The big unknown is how many tickets — and, more importantly, what tickets — will be available.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
The new tracking method may also help answer the big unknown of how much space debris actually reaches the surface of Earth.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The big unknown, of course, is how long Trump is willing to stay selling the idea, and whether Republicans will bend to his predilections.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
The big unknown is the fate of Iran’s huge stockpile of uranium—some four hundred kilograms—which had been enriched before the war.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Another big unknown: What is the virus doing in the sanctuary site?
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Big unknown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20unknown. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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