big idea

noun

, Informal.

1. any plan or proposal that is grandiose, impractical, and usually unsolicited:

   You're always coming around here with your big ideas.

2. purpose; intention; aim:

   What's the big idea of shouting at me?

Word History and Origins

Origin of big idea¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

She says the “big idea” came from parents who wanted something to give them a real flavour of the school, such as how important sport was or the approach to discipline.

From BBC

Speaking just before the election, the Conservatives said they had allocated a total of £15bn since 2019 on levelling up - their big idea to spread prosperity more evenly across the country.

From BBC

In June 2020, she published a children’s book about her aunt and mother called "Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea".

From BBC

But the Conservatives claimed Labour's big idea was what they described as an "amnesty for illegal immigrants".

From BBC

Still, there’s a very provocative big idea hiding under all theatrics: that once fashion enters the museum and falls into hands of a conservator it becomes an object and effectively “dies.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• approach
• attention
• attitude
• awareness
• concept
• consciousness
• feeling
• image
• impression
• judgment
• knowledge
• notion
• opinion
• recognition
• sense
• taste
• thought
• viewpoint