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

Derived 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

This expanded criteria makes discussions about curing or preventing autism incredibly fraught, because the label autism spectrum disorder is now such a big tent.

From Slate • 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

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

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2024

Hood was there, in a big tent, on a litter.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara