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
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.
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 Why this discrepancy with the public viewing big government negatively and yet feeling very positive about big government programs? Douglas J. Amy, Hartford Courant, 13 May 2025 What everybody wanted was a voice in the matter and a vote, and that to me is not big government. Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for big government

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of big government was in 1925

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Big government.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20government. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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