large

[ lahrj ]
See synonyms for large on Thesaurus.com
adjective,larg·er, larg·est.
  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.

  1. of great scope or range; extensive; broad.

  2. grand or pompous: a man given to large, bombastic talk.

  3. (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.

  4. famous; successful; important: He's very large in financial circles.

  5. Obsolete. generous; bountiful; lavish.

  6. Obsolete.

    • unrestrained in the use of language; gross; improper.

    • unrestrained in behavior or manner; uninhibited.

  7. Nautical. free (def. 33).

noun
  1. Music. the longest note in mensural notation.

  2. Obsolete. generosity; bounty.

adverb
  1. Nautical. with the wind free or abaft the beam so that all sails draw fully.

Idioms about large

  1. at large,

    • free from restraint or confinement; at liberty:The murderer is still at large.

    • to a considerable extent; at length: to treat a subject at large.

    • as a whole; in general: the country at large.

    • Also at-large . representing the whole of a state, district, or body rather than one division or part of it: a delegate at large.

    • Also at-large . having a general, as opposed to a specific, role in an organization or project: She’s the magazine’s editor-at-large.

  2. in large, on a large scale; from a broad point of view: a problem seen in large.: Also in the large .

Origin of large

1
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin larga, feminine of largus “ample, generous”

Other words for large

Opposites for large

Other words from large

  • largeness, noun
  • o·ver·large, adjective
  • ul·tra·large, adjective
  • un·large, adjective

Words that may be confused with large

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use large in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for 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

  1. having or showing great breadth of understanding: a large heart

  2. nautical (of the wind) blowing from a favourable direction

  3. rare overblown; pretentious

  4. generous

  5. obsolete (of manners and speech) gross; rude

noun
  1. at large

    • (esp of a dangerous criminal or wild animal) free; not confined

    • roaming freely, as in a foreign country

    • as a whole; in general

    • in full detail; exhaustively

    • ambassador-at-large See ambassador (def. 4)

  2. in large or in the large as a totality or on a broad scale

adverb
  1. nautical with the wind blowing from a favourable direction

  2. by and large

    • (sentence modifier) generally; as a rule: by and large, the man is the breadwinner

    • nautical towards and away from the wind

  1. loom large to be very prominent or important

Origin of large

1
C12 (originally: generous): via Old French from Latin largus ample, abundant

Derived forms of large

  • largeness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with large

large

see at large; big (large) as life; by and large; cog in the (a large) wheel; in some (large) measure; loom large; writ large.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.