big idea
Americannoun
-
any plan or proposal that is grandiose, impractical, and usually unsolicited.
You're always coming around here with your big ideas.
-
purpose; intention; aim.
What's the big idea of shouting at me?
Etymology
Origin of big idea
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But then, the agency people unveiled their big idea: to create a campaign centered around reanimated digital avatars of our dead loved ones.
From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026
The big idea was to take Tesla’s learnings from its self-driving technology, which uses software and cameras to autonomously drive automobiles.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026
But the body, the return to something purely sensorial, is Laxe’s big idea.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2025
While waiting for a delayed train on a cold railway station platform back in 2016 a 30-something tech enthusiast had his big idea.
From BBC • Dec. 21, 2024
I don’t think about Safer, and I don’t think about Dallas, or the taste test, or my big idea that may or may not work.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
