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

Intervention by the governor and community mediation efforts restored a fragile peace to the area, but the instigators of the violence remain at large.

From Barron's

For U.S. companies and the economy at large, that means one thing: a lot more trade uncertainty.

From The Wall Street Journal

In most cases, a PPA adds renewable energy to the grid at large, helping to decarbonize a country’s energy system overall.

From The Wall Street Journal

They are getting to know each other online and at large events including Riyadh Season, an annual entertainment festival.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hesitation to hire as employers await the onset of AI could also play a role, especially at large companies that are able to deploy AI sooner.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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