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
“Distributors looked at it and saw a substance and a really big idea, revolving around that wonderful sledgehammer of a line.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
“This is a really big idea that makes a lot of sense,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 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
And this last year, I think she got a big idea in her head, to go to China and find them herself.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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.
