large

[ lahrj ]

/ lɑrdʒ /

|||

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.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR large

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR large ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR large

1 small.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR large ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Can be confusedlarge largess

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

Examples from the Web for 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|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
“Yes,” he answered, for he found he was ten times the size of the largest.
Folk-Lore and Legends: North American Indian|Anonymous
The third is therefore much the largest part of the whole book, comprising all from the 4th to the 22d ch.
Notes On The Apocalypse|David Steele
The park proper, containing more than twelve hundred hectares, is one of the largest and most thickly wooded in France.
Royal Palaces and Parks of France|Milburg Francisco Mansfield
The largest of these was evidently a patriarch, for although he was in rather poor condition he weighed 136 lbs.
By Rock and Pool on an Austral Shore, and Other Stories|Louis Becke
It was one of the largest receptions ever held in Washington.
Behind the Scenes|Elizabeth Keckley

British Dictionary definitions for largest

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 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 (1 of 2)

largest

adj.

superlative of large (q.v.).

Word Origin and History for largest (1 of 2)

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.

large

adjective, larg·er, larg·est.

noun

adverb

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Origin of large

Examples from the Web for largest

British Dictionary definitions for largest

large

adjective

noun

adverb

Word Origin for large

Word Origin and History for largest (1 of 2)

largest

Word Origin and History for largest (1 of 2)

large

Idioms and Phrases with largest

large