Idiom
big tent
Meaning
A group, philosophy, or social or political movement that encompasses or seeks to attract a broad range of constituents or members, or views.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The new political party is a big tent for many different voters.”
“Our sports club is a big tent for players of all skill levels.”
“The organizers want their festival to be a big tent, welcoming people from all backgrounds and musical tastes.”
“The charity maintains a big tent approach by working with both religious groups and secular organizations to provide food for the local community.”
“By adopting a big tent strategy, the movement successfully united diverse factions under a single platform to challenge the established leadership.”
Examples
simple
“The new political party is a big tent for many different voters.”
“Our sports club is a big tent for players of all skill levels.”
contextual
“The organizers want their festival to be a big tent, welcoming people from all backgrounds and musical tastes.”
“The charity maintains a big tent approach by working with both religious groups and secular organizations to provide food for the local community.”
complex
“By adopting a big tent strategy, the movement successfully united diverse factions under a single platform to challenge the established leadership.”
Origin
From *big* + *tent*, the term first emerged in reference to the expansive canvases erected for circuses and large-scale religious revivals. These structures were designed specifically to accommodate a diverse and numerous public, providing a single enclosure for a wide variety of attendees. The physical capacity of the structure eventually lent itself to the description of inclusive organisations.
Key words
Related idioms
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