at large

Cultural  

1. 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.

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at large Idioms  

1. Free, unconfined, especially not confined in prison, as in To our distress, the housebreakers were still at large . [1300s]

2. 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]

3. 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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at large

As a result, macroeconomic headwinds such as rising interest rates will become a bigger factor to the long-term success of the AI trade at large, according to Rinehart.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

He says math is quickly approaching a “worst-case scenario” that threatens the long-term health of his field and society at large.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

While the Supreme Court later sentenced him to prison, he remains at large.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Many of the galaxies are also located at relatively high redshifts, meaning they are observed at large cosmic distances.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

The thought of leaving the children alone while the search party was still at large had been simply unacceptable to her.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• able
• clear
• easy
• independent
• loose
• open
• unfettered
• unrestricted