at large

at 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.

* * *
{adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. Not kept within walls, fences, or boundaries; free. * /The killer remained at large for weeks./ Compare: AT LIBERTY. * /Cattle and sheep roamed at large on the big ranch./ 2. In a broad, general way; at length; fully. * /The superintendent talked at large for an hour about his hopes for a new school building./ 3. As a group rather than as individuals; as a whole; taken together. * /The junior class at large was not interested in a senior yearbook./ 4. As a representative of a whole political unit or area rather than one of its parts; from a city rather than one of its wards, or a state rather than one of its districts. * /He was elected congressman at large./ * /Aldermen are voted for at large./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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