Meaning & use
large
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Bigger than average in size, area or quantity.
Grammar: Comparable: larger, largest. It describes size, not importance.
Patterns
- a large number of something
- a large amount of something
They live in a large house near the park.
A large crowd gathered outside the stadium.
She ordered a large coffee with milk.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Wide in scope, range or effect.
Grammar: Used before a noun, often in abstract contexts: a large role.
Patterns
- play a large part in something
Luck played a large part in the outcome.
The scandal had a large effect on the election.
He holds large responsibility for the budget.
adjectiveafter a verb
The size of clothing or food between medium and extra large.
Grammar: Often follows be: this shirt is large.
I need this jacket in a large.
The large pizza feeds four people.
Do you have these shoes in a large size?
Word forms
| comparative | larger |
|---|---|
| superlative | largest |
Common combinations
- a large number of
- A large number of students applied.
- by and large
- By and large, the trip went well.
- at large
- The thief is still at large.
- large scale
- They planned a large scale event.
- a large amount of
- A large amount of rain fell overnight.
- large family
- They come from a large family.
Synonyms and how they differ
- big
- Big is the casual everyday word and also means important, while large is more neutral and common in writing.
- huge
- Huge is much stronger and describes something extremely large.
- sizable
- Sizable suggests fairly big but not enormous, usually for amounts.
- substantial
- Substantial stresses significance in amount or strength, not just size.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: large or big? large or wide?
large vs big
Big is more informal and also describes importance, as in a big decision, where large would sound odd.
large vs wide
Wide refers only to the distance from side to side, but large describes overall size.
Practice
Which sentence is the most natural?
Choose one answer.
Large goes naturally with number and amount. It does not usually describe importance like big does, so the other options fail.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “large”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.