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.
At least four Teslas were vandalized on July 17 with an additional nine more on July 23, he said, adding that the vandal, who remains at large, wrote “offensive language” on the vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Rarely, however, have such actions been taken because of public protests by the society at large.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
As a police investigation and manhunt continues - and amid the tributes and grief - there is also whispered concern that a perpetrator could still be at large.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
That challenge is familiar at large mining operations, where specialized teams manage ventilation and water systems.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 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.
