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3. at large

at large

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at large

1. Roaming freely, as of a criminal who has not been caught. The robbery suspect is still at large and is considered very dangerous.

2. As a whole; in general. That change in curriculum has not been accepted by the teachers at large.

3. Representative of the whole, rather than smaller groups, as of certain elected offices. Who has been elected to act for the community at large?

See also: large

at large

 

1. free; uncaptured. (Usually said of criminals not in custody.) At noon, the day after the robbery, the thieves were still at large. There is a murderer at large in the city!

2. in general; according to a general sample. Truck drivers at large don't like the new speed restriction on the highway. Students at large felt that discipline was too strict.

3. representing the whole group rather than its subsections. (Always refers to a special kind of elective office.) He ran for representative at large. She represented shareholders at large on the governing board.

See also: large

at large

1. most of The public at large doesn't take the problem seriously. Related vocabulary: in general

2. not in prison Police arrested one man, but the other suspects in the robbery are still at large.

See also: large

at large

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]

See also: large

at large

1. Not in confinement or captivity; at liberty: a convict still at large.

2. As a whole; in general: the country at large.

3. Representing a nation, state, or district as a whole. Often used in combination: councilor-at-large.

4. Not assigned to a particular country. Often used in combination: ambassador-at-large.

5. At length; copiously.

See also: large