:Big government

{{Short description|Pejorative term for a perceived overbearing government or public sector}}

{{about|the form of government|the political website|Breitbart News#Big Government|for the basketball player with the nickname|Reggie Jackson (basketball, born 1990)}}

{{use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}

Big government is a term that refers to a government or public sector that is considered excessively large or unconstitutionally involved in certain areas of public policy or the private sector.

The term may also be used specifically concerning government policies that attempt to regulate private or personal matters such as private sexual behavior or individual food choices{{cite news|last=Grynbaum|first=Michael|title=New York Plans to Ban Sale of Big Sizes of Sugary Drinks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/nyregion/bloomberg-plans-a-ban-on-large-sugared-drinks.html?_r=1|access-date=2 June 2012|newspaper=New York Times|date=31 May 2012}} – similar to the British term 'nanny state'. The term has also been used in the context of the United States to define a dominant federal government that seeks to control the authority of local institutions – an example being the overriding of state authority in favor of federal legislation.{{cite web|title=The meaning of big government|url=http://www.renewamerica.com/analysis/garry/110614|publisher=Renew America|access-date=26 April 2012|author=Patrick Garry|date=14 June 2011}}