big picture

noun, often capitalized B&P

Definition of 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 In the big picture, the Hawks (43 points) drew within two points in the Central Division of the fourth-place Nashville Predators (45), who lost 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. — Phil Thompson, chicagotribune.com, "3 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks’ comeback 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road," 11 Apr. 2021 Josh Rottenberg covered the big picture of who got what, while Glenn Whipp drilled down into the snubs and surprises. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, "Sacha Baron Cohen steps forward at last as himself," 17 Mar. 2021 Traders should focus on the big picture of filing a 2020 automatic extension by the April 15, 2021 deadline. — Robert Green, Forbes, "Tips For Traders: Preparing 2020 Tax Returns, Extensions, And 475 Elections," 2 Mar. 2021 Correspondent Lee Cowan looks back at the canvas of Ross' career and the big picture of his life lessons. — CBS News, "This week on "Sunday Morning" (February 28)," 26 Feb. 2021 In the big picture of the evolution of life, cellular cooperation has been wildly successful despite the persistence of cellular cheating. — Athena Aktipis, Scientific American, "How Evolution Helps Us Understand Cancer and Control It," 1 Jan. 2021 Watts scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, while Loyer came off the bench early and contributed several pivotal little plays that were massive in the big picture of the Spartans’ 75-69 win at Duke in the Champions Classic. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State basketball's Rocket Watts was a star vs. Duke, but so was Foster Loyer," 2 Dec. 2020 This study helps add to the big picture of how animals have evolved and adapted to their surroundings over time. — Sara Harrison, Wired, "How Octopuses Use Their Suction Cups to Taste Through Touch," 29 Oct. 2020 In the big picture, the drought in the West can be seen as a long-term event, interspersed with a few wet years, that has continued over the last two decades. — Los Angeles Times, "California is bone dry. Will March bring more misery or a miracle?," 5 Mar. 2021

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

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Last Updated

17 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Big picture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20picture. Accessed 19 Apr. 2021.

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