at large
Cultural-
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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Health facilities and the health system at large fall under the protection of international humanitarian and rights law, and is protected by certain Geneva Conventions, he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Like Hathaway, Stella acts her part so sincerely that you’re not sure if Mitchell clued her in that the movie at large is nonsense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Bonuses at large private-equity firms are expected to be up modestly, while midsize and smaller private equity and real-estate investing bonuses are expected to be flat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Sell-through rates in the U.S., a gauge of an artist’s ability to fill a venue, were up compared with last year, at least at large venues.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Furthermore, you have done it quietly, under cover of darkness, never once asking to be recognized in order to receive the plaudits of the country at large.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
