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.

---

Example Sentences

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

Given this history, Black constitutional understandings should loom large in any account of the original public meaning of the Reconstruction Amendments.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

In the annals of central-bank mistakes, three loom large: 1973, 2008 and 2011.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The shadows of Bale and Ramsey et al continue to loom large – but are they an inspiration or a burden?

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Among other factors relevant to answering Yali’s question, cultural factors and influences of individual people loom large.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond