big idea
- noun
- But, as Ogilvy knew, the really big ideas are rare.
- concepts and big ideas
- understanding of big ideas
- focus on big ideas
It's almost always a big idea, a what if?
- It's almost always a big idea, a what if?
- So whatever your big idea is, start small, dream big, act small.
- You've lived a very interesting life where you thought about big ideas and you stuck with them.
- Or just fails to launch or has lots of big dreams and big ideas and nothing comes of them.
- So we've developed a new path and this is the big idea.
- So all right, can somebody just maybe summarize the big idea of this paper?
- How Langer has achieved so many breakthroughs is as important as the big ideas behind them.
- What is the crazy big idea you would try if you knew you could not fail?
- And the big idea in explaining all of this is realizing that love is fuel, not glue.
Examples
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What's the big idea with this insurance policy?
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His big idea for the new business involves using sustainable materials for production.
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So whatever your big idea is, start small, dream big, act small.
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So Trump is great at having a big idea and being able to talk about it.
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When doing so, keep in mind that creating big ideas takes time and effort.
Academic text (2013) -
Standards present the essential questions and big ideas that drive learning.
Academic text (2005) -
What is the crazy big idea you would try if you knew you could not fail?
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For example, the big idea is that objects are made up of many materials.
Academic text (2013) -
The instructor explains what the big idea means, what its components are.
Academic text (2006) -
You've lived a very interesting life where you thought about big ideas and you stuck with them.
Synonyms
A bold, exciting plan to do something new
A big plan for the future to make a large change
The most important idea in a discussion or text
Antonyms
How Important
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a significant or important concept' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'big' (large/important) with 'idea' (concept). This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows regular English composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Big idea comes from imagining an idea so big it fills a room or a plan everyone can see and talk about. That's why it means 'an important concept' or the 'main reason' behind something.