I. large 1 S1 W1 /lɑːdʒ $ lɑːrdʒ/ BrE AmE 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 OPP 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 OPP 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 ↑ loom 1 (3), ⇨ writ large at ↑ writ 2
II. large 2 BrE AmE 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.