big idea

noun

Informal.

1. any plan or proposal that is grandiose, impractical, and usually unsolicited.

   You're always coming around here with your big ideas.

2. purpose; intention; aim.

   What's the big idea of shouting at me?

Word History and Origins

Origin of big idea¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

New officials come up with some big idea and say, “Now, let’s make everyone do it.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At a Senate hearing I once attended, one member’s big idea was to write a dress code for all 100,000 public K-12 schools.

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But the body, the return to something purely sensorial, is Laxe’s big idea.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The big idea, as with the Brixham fishermen's clinic, is to better tailor health services to local communities, and offer people more checks and tests to stop them falling sick in the first place.

Read more on BBC

“This is a really big idea that makes a lot of sense,” she said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• approach 
• attention 
• attitude 
• awareness 
• concept 
• consciousness 
• feeling 
• image 
• impression 
• judgment 
• knowledge 
• notion 
• opinion 
• recognition 
• sense 
• taste 
• thought 
• viewpoint