loom large

Idioms  

1. Appear imminent in a threatening, magnified form. For example, The possibility of civil war loomed large on the horizon, or Martha wanted to take it easy for a week, but the bar exam loomed large. This term employs loom in the sense of “come into view,” a usage dating from the late 1500s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loom large

The accomplishments of the fathers or uncles of those draftees loom large.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Shadows of Spielberg’s filmography loom large over “Disclosure Day”: the inclination to revisit and fictionalize childhood from “The Fabelmans,” the tests of empathy in “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” and, of course, all the aliens.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

Those challenges could loom large for Matsumoto, a longtime BLS employee who has been on loan for the past year as a senior economist to the Council of Economic Advisers.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Iran will loom large over the Trump-Xi summit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

The rustling poplars loom large in the darkness.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque