big picture

noun

variants or less commonly Big Picture
: the entire perspective on a situation or issue
—used with the

Examples of big picture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Now, the Longhorns are just one loss away from virtually being eliminated from College Football Playoff contention, but the big picture of it all is that head coach Steve Sarkisian has simply not pushed Manning to take a step in the right direction. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 As tasks like writing code, identifying bugs, or writing emails get automated away by AI, employees at Anthropic have now found that the big picture tasks are increasingly what count. — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026 There are a lot of societal issues and a lot of big picture things. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 In the big picture, no need to overreact to the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss in the National League Championship Series opener. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for big picture

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of big picture was in 1904

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Big picture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20picture. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster