large
/ˈlɑːd͡ʒ/
This word describes physical dimensions but also extends to abstract quantities, such as a large amount of money or a large number of people. It carries a neutral tone, though it can become positive when implying generosity or negative when implying clumsiness or excess. While similar to "big," "large" is often perceived as slightly more formal or precise. In a commercial context, it frequently serves as a standardized size category, as seen in food and beverage ordering, where it denotes the maximum standard capacity available.
💬Casual Conversation
I literally cannot fit this large textbook in my bag.
Maybe stop buying every optional read and just use the pdf.
Meanings
Examples
I need a large coffee if I am going to survive this.
God, this is a large amount of laundry for one person!
Look, we just don't have a large enough budget for this.
Is that a large dog or just a really fluffy one?
I can't believe you bought such a large TV for this room!
Please ensure the large shipments are processed by noon.
Wait, is the large one actually the expensive one?
Collocations & Compounds
large scale
of great size or extent
The project was implemented on a large scale across the city.
large amount
a significant quantity
A large amount of water was wasted during the leak.
large capacity
able to hold a lot
The stadium has a large capacity for spectators.
large proportion
a significant part of a whole
A large proportion of the budget is spent on marketing.
large gap
a wide difference or space
There is a large gap between the two candidates in the polls.
Cultural Context
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is not just large in name, but is the most massive and complex scientific instrument ever constructed by humanity. Spanning a 27-kilometer ring beneath the border of France and Switzerland, this behemoth of engineering was designed to collide protons at nearly the speed of light.<br><br>The purpose of such a large scale is to recreate the high-energy conditions that existed mere fractions of a second after the Big Bang. By smashing particles together, physicists hope to uncover the secrets of dark matter and the origin of mass, famously confirmed by the discovery of the Higgs boson. The sheer magnitude of the LHC serves as a physical manifestation of human curiosity, proving that sometimes, only a truly large-scale effort can answer the smallest questions of the universe.