big government

noun

variants: or Big Government

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Definition of 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

See big government defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of big government from the Web

Small government is more popular than big government in theory, but voters do not like spending cuts.

— The Economist, "Fork in the roadShould the party move to the left or to the centre?," 12 July 2018
Broadly speaking, Americans for Prosperity campaigns against big government, but many of its initiatives target public transit.

— hiroko tabuchi, Anchorage Daily News, "How the Koch brothers are killing public transit projects around the country," 19 June 2018
Thanks to big government overreach, there are so many rules and regulations in the United States, all Americans have probably, accidentally violated at least one.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Pardons Dinesh D’Souza, in Triumph for Social Justice," 31 May 2018
Big business feasts on big government, and ObamaCare has been a bonanza for companies that have figured out how to exploit it.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Why CVS Loves ObamaCare," 29 May 2018
Fears still persist that Amazon has an inside track to the big government deal, and more than 1,000 comments have been sent to the Pentagon about the multibillion-dollar bid, including dozens from industry groups, according to Bloomberg.

— jeff stein, chicagotribune.com, "If Trump really wants to go after Amazon, he has options," 5 Apr. 2018
What's more big government than police beating citizens without cause?

— joseph a. gambardello, Philly.com, "3 Camden police officers removed from duty over alleged assault caught on video," 27 Feb. 2018
In a state that is still largely rural and tinged with a libertarian mistrust of big government, Mr. Tester drives a beat-up pickup truck, shoots guns and has little to say about his party’s internecine fights.

— nicholas fandos, New York Times, "Jon Tester, a Democrat in Deep-Red Montana, Isn’t Sweating Trump’s Threats," 3 June 2018
The Tea Party’s transition from anti-big government to pro-Trump is a story of how a movement adapts to maintain its influence and power.

— jane coaston, Vox, "In 2018, the Tea Party is all in for Trump," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'big government.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.