large

[lahrj]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR large 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.

Idioms

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 < Old French < Latin larga, feminine of largus ample, generous

Related formslarge·ness, nouno·ver·large, adjectiveul·tra·large, adjectiveun·large, adjective

Can be confusedlarge largess

Synonyms for large

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR large ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Antonyms for large

1. small.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for largest

larger, biggest, better, greater, most, greatest

Examples from the Web for largest

Contemporary Examples of largest

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
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
“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
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
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

Historical Examples of largest

"Look at that dog-fish," said Vavasor, pointing to the largest in the tank.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
One of the largest of the Zeppelins was thus lost at Stuttgart in 1908.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
The wood and cloth will be the two largest items, and these should not cost more than $10.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
This was her first voyage, and she was said to be the largest ship out of Rotterdam.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
But one day there came to the mountainside the largest giant Wotan had ever seen.
Opera Stories from Wagner
Florence Akin

British Dictionary definitions for largest

large

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
nauticaltowards and away from the wind

loom large to be very prominent or important

Derived Formslargeness, 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

Word Origin and History for largest

adj.

superlative of large (q.v.).

large

adj.

c.1200, "bountiful, inclined to give or spend freely," also, of areas, "great in expanse," from Old French large "broad, wide; generous, bounteous," from Latin largus "abundant, copious, plentiful; bountiful, liberal in giving," of unknown origin. Main modern meanings "extensive; big in overall size" emerged 14c. An older sense of "liberated, free from restraining influence" is preserved in at large (late 14c.). Adjective phrase larger-than-life first attested 1937 (bigger than life is from 1640s).

Idioms and Phrases with largest

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.