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

“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

Powder House Park was a convenient place to pitch a big tent, since it sits between the Tufts campus and the liberal yard signs of Somerville, where Ozturk lived.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2025

The big tent, at least for now, covered obvious differences of policy and opinion.

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2024

At first this festival was held in a big tent, like a circus.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood