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

That’s what I’m doing in my work at large.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Its market share in ticketing and promoting shows at large amphitheaters exceeded 70%, according to the states.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

It remained at large Thursday, authorities said, with a nearby school closing for safety.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

More recently, failures at large distributors have shown how quickly deliveries can be interrupted, even when goods are available.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

Sargo and other key spies remained at large, but there was no longer any easy way to track them.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

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