big tent
/ˌbɪɡ ˈtɛnt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.04 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A group, philosophy, or social or political movement that encompasses or seeks to attract a broad range of constituents or members, or views.
Example Sentences
- "Humanism is an expansive trisyllable, a veritable "big-tent" of a word, sheltering many varieties of performance under its spreading canvas."
- "The Democratic governor of Mississippi, Paul Johnson, has endorsed Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater. […] He said he is confident that the majority of Mississippians "Have no desire to get under Lyndon Johnson's big tent and to share the company already assembled there.""
- "The newcomers often bring an array of ancillary problems to meetings, including emotional trauma and addiction to other drugs. As the organization metamorphoses, its supporters wonder whether A.A. [Alcoholics Anonymous] can or should be such a big tent."
- "They are not a slice of Americana, as we usually say, but rather, a broad brush of it. While most of our successful sports franchises display some distinct personality, only the [Dallas] Cowboys offer the big tent."
- "And here in essence is the problem with the Democrats' big tent, as well as the grounds for a wholly new kind of culture war that is probably going to make us long for the clear lines and simple enmities of the old one."
- "#MeToo, that vast and disembodied and ongoing protest march, has been subject to similar dynamics: the big tent, flinging its flaps ever wider; the entropic impulse as both a matter of promise and a matter of peril."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌbɪɡ ˈtɛnt/
- British English: /ˌbɪɡ ˈtɛnt/