at large

Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for the election of public officials by an entire governmental unit rather than by subdivisions of the unit. For example, a delegate at large does not represent any specific district or locale, but speaks instead for a much wider group of people.

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at large Idioms  

1. Free, unconfined, especially not confined in prison, as in To our distress, the housebreakers were still at large . [1300s]

2. At length, fully; also, as a whole, in general. For example, The chairman talked at large about the company's plans for the coming year , or, as Shakespeare wrote in Love's Labour's Lost (1:1): “So to the laws at large I write my name” (that is, I uphold the laws in general). This usage is somewhat less common. [1400s]

3. Elected to represent an entire group of voters rather than those in a particular district or other segment—for example, alderman at large , representing all the wards of a city instead of just one, or delegate at large to a labor union convention . [Mid-1700s]

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Example Sentences

That’s what I’m doing in my work at large.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

He says he hears almost daily from tech employees, some at large companies, checking to see if he is hiring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The stocks are already trading at large premiums to their historical price-to-earnings valuations, and their price momentum is starting to wear off as oil prices fall.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

A nearby elementary school was closed as a precaution on Thursday after the wolf remained at large, and authorities have urged residents to take care and report any sightings.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

The world at large does not love dragons.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Related Words

• able
• clear
• easy
• independent
• loose
• open
• unfettered
• unrestricted