large

[ lahrj ]

/ lɑrdʒ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: large / larger / largest / largeness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, larg·er, larg·est.

of more than average size, quantity, degree, etc.; exceeding that which is common to a kind or class; big; great: a large house; a large number; in large measure; to a large extent.

on a great scale: a large producer of kitchen equipment.

of great scope or range; extensive; broad.

grand or pompous: a man given to large, bombastic talk.

(of a map, model, etc.) representing the features of the original with features of its own that are relatively large so that great detail may be shown.

famous; successful; important: He's very large in financial circles.

Obsolete. generous; bountiful; lavish.

Obsolete.

unrestrained in the use of language; gross; improper.
unrestrained in behavior or manner; uninhibited.

Nautical. free (def. 33).

noun

Music. the longest note in mensural notation.

Obsolete. generosity; bounty.

adverb

Nautical. with the wind free or abaft the beam so that all sails draw fully.

OTHER WORDS FOR large

1 huge, enormous, immense, gigantic, colossal; massive; vast.

See synonyms for large on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR large

1 small.

See antonyms for large on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about large

at large,

free from restraint or confinement; at liberty: The murderer is still at large.
to a considerable extent; at length: to treat a subject at large.
as a whole; in general: the country at large.
Also at-large . representing the whole of a state, district, or body rather than one division or part of it: a delegate at large.
Also at-large . having a general, as opposed to a specific, role in an organization or project: She’s the magazine’s editor-at-large.

in large, on a large scale; from a broad point of view: a problem seen in large.Also in the large .

Origin of large

1125–75; Middle English from Old French from Latin larga, feminine of largus “ample, generous”

OTHER WORDS FROM large

largeness, nouno·ver·large, adjectiveul·tra·large, adjectiveun·large, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH large

large , largess

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use large in a sentence

Houston has the largest medical center in the world, and the largest export port in the entire country.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections they were the largest bloc of voters.
When Will We See a #Millennial Congress?|Linda Killian|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The four largest banks are nearly 40 percent bigger today than they were just five years ago,” she observed.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was as if it would interfere with the largest particular work of her life, which happened to be me.
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness|Ronald K. Fried|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In 2010 Cuba provided the largest contingent of medical staff during the aftermath of the huge earthquake that shook Haiti.
The Dark Side of Cuba’s Ebola Economy|James Bloodworth|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pink flowers are the largest while those of a yellow color are the smallest.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Drone: the largest tube of a bag-pipe, giving forth a dull heavy tone.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Leaves of a lanceolate form are the largest, and the shape of those found on most varieties of the American plant.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
A dish of toads of the largest and most repulsive variety used to be offered one by one to the big man's relatives and guests.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
They led me to the largest wigwam of all; it contained fully eighty people.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various

British Dictionary definitions for large

large

/ (lɑːdʒ) /

adjective

having a relatively great size, quantity, extent, etc; big

of wide or broad scope, capacity, or range; comprehensivea large effect

having or showing great breadth of understandinga large heart

nautical (of the wind) blowing from a favourable direction

rare overblown; pretentious

generous

obsolete (of manners and speech) gross; rude

noun

at large

(esp of a dangerous criminal or wild animal) free; not confined
roaming freely, as in a foreign country
as a whole; in general
in full detail; exhaustively
ambassador-at-large See ambassador (def. 4)

in large or in the large as a totality or on a broad scale

adverb

nautical with the wind blowing from a favourable direction

by and large

(sentence modifier) generally; as a ruleby and large, the man is the breadwinner
nautical towards and away from the wind

loom large to be very prominent or important

Derived forms of large

largeness, noun

Word Origin for large

C12 (originally: generous): via Old French from Latin largus ample, abundant

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with large

large

see at large; big (large) as life; by and large; cog in the (a large) wheel; in some (large) measure; loom large; writ large.

large

OTHER WORDS FOR large

OPPOSITES FOR large

Idioms about large

Origin of large

OTHER WORDS FROM large

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH large

Words related to large

How to use large in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for large

Derived forms of large

Word Origin for large

Other Idioms and Phrases with large