large
adjective OPAL WOPAL S
/lɑːdʒ/
/lɑːrdʒ/
(comparative larger, superlative largest)
Idioms - big in size or quantity
- a large group/city/area/crowd/family
- a large number of people
- There were some very large amounts of money involved.
- Drought hit large parts of the country.
- A large proportion of old people live alone.
- The company has grown large enough to employ over 100 people.
- The kitchen is relatively large for a modern apartment.
- That's too large to fit in my suitcase!
- The population is slightly larger than that of Canada.
- Women usually do the larger share of the housework.
- Seoul is one of the world's largest cities.
- Who's the rather large (= fat) lady in the hat?
Extra Examples- He's a very large child for his age.
- Brazil is the world's largest producer of coffee.
- By this time his debt had become extremely large.
- His eyes were abnormally large.
- Isn't that jumper rather large?
- Our house was not overly large.
- Some of the clothes looked very large.
- The plant had grown quite large.
- The universe is infinitely large.
- a huge chair behind an equally large desk
- the increasingly large numbers of senior citizens
- I grew up in a large family.
- It's better value if you buy a large box.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- appear
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- (abbreviation L)used to describe one size in a range of sizes of clothes, food, products used in the house, etc.
- Would you like small, medium or large?
- Do you have these jeans in a larger size?
- wide in range and involving many things
- a large and complex issue
- Some drugs are being used on a much larger scale than previously.
- The studies are often large in scope, with budgets to match.
- If we look at the larger picture of the situation, the differences seem slight.
Which Word? big / large / greatbig / large / greatThese adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:big ~ large ~ great ~ man numbers success house part majority car area interest boy room importance dog company difficulty smile eyes problem problem family pleasure surprise volume beauty question population artist difference problem surprise - Large is more formal than big and should be used in writing unless it is in an informal style. It is not usually used to describe people, except to avoid saying ‘fat’.
- Great often suggests quality and not just size. Note also the phrases:
- a large amount of
- a large number of
- a large quantity of
- a great deal of
- in great detail
- a person of great age.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- appear
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘liberal in giving, lavish, ample in quantity’): via Old French from Latin larga, feminine of largus ‘copious’.
Idioms
at large
- (used after a noun) as a whole; in general
- the opinion of the public at large
- (of a dangerous person or animal) not captured; free
- Her killer is still at large.
by and large
- used when you are saying something that is generally, but not completely, true
- By and large, I enjoyed my time at school.
give/have it large
- (British English, slang) to enjoy yourself, especially by dancing and drinking alcohol
in large part | in large measure
- (formal) to a great extent
- Their success is due in large part to their determination.
(as) large as life
- (humorous) used to show surprise at seeing somebody/something
- I hadn’t seen her for fifteen years and then there she was, (as) large as life.
larger than life
- looking or behaving in a way that is more interesting or exciting than other people, and so is likely to attract attention synonym flamboyant
- He's a larger than life character.
loom large
- to be frightening and make you worried because something seems hard to avoid
- The prospect of war loomed large.
- The issue looms large in political campaigns nationwide.
writ large (literary)
- easy to see or understand
- Mistrust was writ large on her face.
- (used after a noun) being a large or obvious example of the thing mentioned
- This is deception writ large.