large

[lahrj] /lɑrdʒ/
adjective, larger, largest.
1.
of more than average size, quantity, degree, etc.; exceeding that which is common to a kind or class; big; great:
a large house; a large number; in large measure; to a large extent.
2.
on a great scale:
a large producer of kitchen equipment.
3.
of great scope or range; extensive; broad.
4.
grand or pompous:
a man given to large, bombastic talk.
5.
(of a map, model, etc.) representing the features of the original with features of its own that are relatively large so that great detail may be shown.
6.
famous; successful; important:
He's very large in financial circles.
7.
Obsolete. generous; bountiful; lavish.
8.
Obsolete.
  1. unrestrained in the use of language; gross; improper.
  2. unrestrained in behavior or manner; uninhibited.
9.
Nautical, free (def 33).
noun
10.
Music. the longest note in mensural notation.
11.
Obsolete. generosity; bounty.
adverb
12.
Nautical. with the wind free or abaft the beam so that all sails draw fully.
Idioms
13.
at large,
  1. free from restraint or confinement; at liberty:
    The murderer is still at large.
  2. to a considerable extent; at length:
    to treat a subject at large.
  3. as a whole; in general:
    the country at large.
  4. Also, at-large. representing the whole of a state, district, or body rather than one division or part of it:
    a delegate at large.
14.
in large, on a large scale; from a broad point of view:
a problem seen in large.
Also, in the large.
Origin
1125-75; Middle English < Old French < Latin larga, feminine of largus ample, generous
Related forms
largeness, noun
overlarge, adjective
ultralarge, adjective
unlarge, adjective
Can be confused
large, largess.
Synonyms
1. huge, enormous, immense, gigantic, colossal; massive; vast. See great.
Antonyms
1. small.
British Dictionary definitions for at large

large

/lɑːdʒ/
adjective
1.
having a relatively great size, quantity, extent, etc; big
2.
of wide or broad scope, capacity, or range; comprehensive: a large effect
3.
having or showing great breadth of understanding: a large heart
4.
(nautical) (of the wind) blowing from a favourable direction
5.
(rare) overblown; pretentious
6.
generous
7.
(obsolete) (of manners and speech) gross; rude
noun
8.
at large
  1. (esp of a dangerous criminal or wild animal) free; not confined
  2. roaming freely, as in a foreign country
  3. as a whole; in general
  4. in full detail; exhaustively
  5. ambassador-at-large, See ambassador (sense 4)
9.
in large, in the large, as a totality or on a broad scale
adverb
10.
(nautical) with the wind blowing from a favourable direction
11.
by and large
  1. (sentence modifier) generally; as a rule: by and large, the man is the breadwinner
  2. (nautical) towards and away from the wind
12.
loom large, to be very prominent or important
Derived Forms
largeness, noun
Word Origin
C12 (originally: generous): via Old French from Latin largus ample, abundant
Word Origin and History for at large

large

adj.

c.1200, "bountiful, inclined to give or spend freely," also, of areas, "great in expanse," from Old French large "broad, wide; generous, bounteous," from Latin largus "abundant, copious, plentiful; bountiful, liberal in giving," of unknown origin. Main modern meanings "extensive; big in overall size" emerged 14c. An older sense of "liberated, free from restraining influence" is preserved in at large (late 14c.). Adjective phrase larger-than-life first attested 1937 (bigger than life is from 1640s).

at large in Culture

at large definition


A descriptive term for the election of public officials by an entire governmental unit rather than by subdivisions of the unit. For example, a delegate at large does not represent any specific district or locale, but speaks instead for a much wider group of people.

Slang definitions & phrases for at large

large

noun

A thousand dollars; big one, grand: with new Beverly Hills asi wheels going for fifty large (1980s+)


Idioms and Phrases with at large

at large

.
Free, unconfined, especially not confined in prison, as in To our distress, the housebreakers were still at large. [ 1300s ]
.
At length, fully; also, as a whole, in general. For example, The chairman talked at large about the company's plans for the coming year, or, as Shakespeare wrote in Love's Labour's Lost (1:1): “So to the laws at large I write my name” (that is, I uphold the laws in general). This usage is somewhat less common. [ 1400s ]
.
Elected to represent an entire group of voters rather than those in a particular district or other segment—for example, alderman at large, representing all the wards of a city instead of just one, or delegate at large to a labor union convention. [ Mid-1700s ]

large

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