big tent

American  

noun

1. a political party's or coalition's policy or doctrine of allowing and encouraging a wide range of beliefs, opinions, and views among its members.

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big tent British  

noun

1. 1. a political approach in which a party claims to be open to a wide spectrum of constituents and groups

   2. ( as modifier )

      big-tent politics

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Other Word Forms

• big-tent adjective

Etymology

Origin of big tent

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Finding that big tent of voters gets tougher and tougher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

Their big tent encompasses not just international socialist and social democratic parties but also Greens, Liberals - and even some former Conservatives.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025

“It really has become the big tent of streaming. They’ve invested pretty significantly to develop a stockpile of content.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2025

The big tent is working this time around.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2025

He walked in the nervous night past the high school and past the skating rink—a floor with a big tent over it, and a mechanical orchestra clanging away.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck