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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• big-tent
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of big tent

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

People have wildly different views on Israel, for example, but in the big tent there are other issues that are larger, that transcend that.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

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

“We built a big tent — a multigenerational, multiracial, multiethnic coalition of people, which just reflected my upbringing,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024

They came to it from the rear, from behind a big tent.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt