big government

noun

variants or Big Government

chiefly US

: government that is regarded as infringing upon the rights of individual citizens because of its extensive bureaucracy and intrusive regulations and policies

Big government, in the minds of many Americans, had become the problem, not the solution.

—Tom Morganthau

Especially coming from a Republican, the Hyde proposals smack uncharacteristically of Big Government, critics say.

—John Cloud

Examples of big government in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While the big government shakeup being experienced in the U.S. continues, pardons and commutations seem to be an almost daily part of the Trump administration. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025

Democrats say that has left the Hanford Republican eager to support the billionaire, who’s been instrumental in pushing for big government spending cuts. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Historically, all the Democrats vote for raising the debt ceiling, and about 15 big government Republicans vote for it. —/ Cbs News, CBS News, 1 June 2025

This is the nanny state at its worst; this is big government at its worst. —Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for big government

• antigovernment