there's always a bigger fish
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
No matter how large or intimidating a person or thing is, there is likely to be an even larger or more intimidating person or thing somewhere.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Dù lớn hay đáng sợ đến đâu, cũng có thể có người hoặc thứ lớn hơn, đáng sợ hơn ở đâu đó
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “there's always a bigger fish” mean?
No matter how large or intimidating a person or thing is, there is likely to be an even larger or more intimidating person or thing somewhere.
Is “there's always a bigger fish” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.