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

Police say a person observed at the scene wearing dark clothes is considered a suspect but remains at large.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The cuts come against a backdrop of wider layoffs across the gaming sector, impacting developers at large and small studios alike.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

The public at large bought into those efforts with little skepticism in the understandable desire to have Latinos star in the American story.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Now New York City is considering lifting the minimum at large businesses to $30 by 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

“Stop that water,” I said to the circle at large.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

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