big tent

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big tent

/ˌbɪɡ ˈtɛnt/ US, UK

Rhymes with -ɛnt

Where it comes from

From big (adjective) + tent, originally referring to a large tent set up to hold a public event attended by many people such as a circus or a religious meeting.

noun big tents · big-tent

also, attributive, idiomatic A group, philosophy, or social or political movement that encompasses or seeks to attract a broad range of constituents or members, or views. Humanism is an expansive trisyllable, a veritable "big-tent" of a word, sheltering many varieties of performance under its spreading canvas.
Similar: broad church, catch-all

Translations

Every language

noun group, philosophy, or social or political movement that encompasses or seeks to attract a broad range of constituents or members, or views

Français	attrape-tout

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MLA

"big tent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/big%20tent. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

big tent. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/big%20tent

Chicago

"big tent." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/big%20tent.

BibTeX

@misc{big_tent_2026,
  title = {big tent},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/big%20tent},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}