large
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- big, considerable, enormous, gigantic, great, huge, immense, massive, monumental, sizable or sizeable, substantial, vast
- at large: free, at liberty, on the loose, on the run, unconfined, in general, as a whole, chiefly, generally, in the main, mainly, at length, exhaustively, greatly, in full detail

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Antonyms: small
Contrasted words: diminutive, little, minute, tiny, wee, slender, slight, slim, thin
Related Words: colossal, enormous, gigantic, huge, immense, mammoth, vast, voluminous, monstrous, monumental, prodigious, stupendous, tremendous, excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, immoderate, inordinate

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English Thesaurus: big, large, major, considerable/substantial, huge/massive/enormous, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. large¹ S1 W1 /lɑːdʒ $ lɑːrdʒ/ adjective (comparative larger, superlative largest)
[Word Family: noun: enlargement, enlarger; adjective: large, largish; verb: enlarge; adverb: largely]
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin largus]

1. big in size, amount, or number Antonym : small:
Los Angeles is the second largest city in the US.
The T-shirt comes in Small, Medium and Large.
a large ovenproof pan
large sums of money
those who drink large amounts of coffee
A large number of students have signed up for the course.

2. a large person is tall and often fat Antonym : small

3. be at large if a dangerous person or animal is at large, they have escaped from somewhere or have not been caught:
The escaped prisoners are still at large.

4. the population/public/society/world etc at large people in general:
The chemical pollution poses a threat to the population at large.

5. the larger issues/question/problem/picture more general facts, situations, or questions related to something:
The book helps to explain the larger picture in the Middle East.

6. in large part/measure formal mostly:
Their success was due in large part to their ability to speak Spanish.

7. (as) large as life British English spoken used when someone has appeared or is present in a place where you did not expect to see them:
I turned a corner and there was Joe, as large as life.

8. larger than life someone who is larger than life is very amusing or exciting in an attractive way

9. by and large used when talking generally about someone or something:
Charities, by and large, do not pay tax.
⇒ loom large at loom¹(3), ⇒ writ large at writ²

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. large² verb
large it (up) British English informal to enjoy yourself, especially in a way that involves drinking alcohol, dancing etc:
Here’s a picture of us larging it up in Brighton last summer.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

large
adj.
VERBS be, feel, look, seem Some of the clothes looked very large.
become, get, grow By this time his debt had got extremely large. The plant had grown quite large.
remain
ADV. exceptionally, extremely, very | comparatively, fairly, moderately, quite, rather, reasonably, relatively Isn't that jumper rather large?
enough, sufficiently Are you sure the hall will be large enough?
indefinitely, infinitely The universe is infinitely large.
abnormally, disproportionately, surprisingly, unexpectedly, unusually His eyes were abnormally large.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

large
adjective
DUBIOUS: The road wasn't large enough for two cars.
GOOD: The road wasn't wide enough for two cars.

Usage Note:
When you are talking about the distance from one side to the other, use wide or broad : 'The river is much too wide to swim across.' 'How did you get such broad shoulders?'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

big:
a big city
a big guy
a big mistake
Lack of funding is the biggest problem.
Getting a car has made a big difference to my life.
large a slightly more formal word than big, used to describe objects and amounts:
a large bowl
Large areas of the forest have been destroyed.
The museum attracts a large number of visitors.
major [only before noun] big and important:
Pollution is a major problem.
There has been a major change in government policy.
considerable/substantial quite big – used especially about amounts:
They have spent a considerable amount of money on the project.
A substantial amount of heat is lost through the windows.
He had a considerable influence on young musicians.
huge/massive/enormous extremely big:
The table was enormous.
a huge explosion
Their house is huge.
There is a huge amount of work to be done.
There has been a massive increase in oil prices.
The company is massive, operating in 150 countries.
A massive fire destroyed more than thirty homes.
He’s been under an enormous amount of stress recently.
The changes will have an enormous impact.
great [only before noun] very big – used especially to describe the level or number of something:
He achieved great success in America.
The college offers a great number of courses.
a great advantage
vast extremely big – used about areas, distances, numbers, or amounts:
vast areas of rainforest
A vast number of tourists visit the island every year.
gigantic extremely big and much bigger than other things of the same type:
Gigantic waves crashed onto the beach.
colossal extremely big – used about amounts or objects:
James ran up a colossal phone bill.
a colossal statue of Napoleon
tremendous having an extremely big effect:
There have been some tremendous changes.
My new job will be a tremendous challenge.
The children were making a tremendous amount of noise.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

large
lɑ:dʒ
See: at large , by and large

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲