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big in size or quantity 大的；大规模的；大量的 a large group/city/area/crowd/family 一大群人/城市/地区/人群/家庭 a large number of people 很多人 There were some very large amounts of money involved. 涉及到一些非常大的金额。 Drought hit large parts of the country. 干旱袭击了这个国家的大部分地区。 A large proportion of old people live alone. 一大部分老人都是独居。 The company has grown large enough to employ over 100 people. 该公司已发展到足以雇用100多人。 The kitchen is relatively large for a modern apartment. 对于现代公寓来说，厨房相对较大。 That's too large to fit in my suitcase! 那太大了，放不进我的手提箱！ The population is slightly larger than that of Canada. 人口比加拿大略多。 Women usually do the larger share of the housework. 妇女通常承担大部分家务。 Seoul is one of the world's largest cities. 首尔是世界上最大的城市之一。 Who's the rather large (= fat) lady in the hat? 那位戴帽子的丰满女士是谁？
Extra ExamplesHe's a very large child for his age. 就其年龄来说，这孩子个头很大。 Brazil is the world's largest producer of coffee. 巴西是世界上最大的咖啡生产国。 By this time his debt had become extremely large. 此时他已债台高筑。 His eyes were abnormally large. 他的眼睛异常大。 Isn't that jumper rather large? 那件套衫不是很宽大吗？ Our house was not overly large. 我们的房子不算过大。 Some of the clothes looked very large. 这些衣服有的看起来很大。 The plant had grown quite large. 这棵植物已经长得非常高大了。 The universe is infinitely large. 宇宙是无限大的。 a huge chair behind an equally large desk 一把巨大的椅子在一张同等大小的办公桌后面 the increasingly large numbers of senior citizens 越来越大的老年人人数 I grew up in a large family. 我成长于一个大家庭。 It's better value if you buy a large box. 如果买大盒子，性价比更高。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- appear
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- (abbreviation L)
used to describe one size in a range of sizes of clothes, food, products used in the house, etc. （服装、食物、日用品等）大型号的 Would you like small, medium or large? 你要小号、中号，还是大号的？ Do you have these jeans in a larger size? 这些牛仔裤有大一号的吗？
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wide in range and involving many things 广泛的；众多的 a large and complex issue 重大而复杂的问题 Some drugs are being used on a much larger scale than previously. 与以前相比，某些药物的使用范围更广了。 The studies are often large in scope, with budgets to match. 这些研究的范围通常很大，需要相应的预算。 If we look at the larger picture of the situation, the differences seem slight. 倘若我们对情况看得全面些，这些分歧就显得微不足道了。
Which Word? big / large / greatbig / large / greatThese adjectives are frequently used with the following nouns:big ~ large ~ great ~ man numbers success house part majority car area interest boy room importance dog company difficulty smile eyes problem problem family pleasure surprise volume beauty question population artist difference problem surprise - Large is more formal than big and should be used in writing unless it is in an informal style. It is not usually used to describe people, except to avoid saying ‘fat’.
large 较 big 正式，应该用于书面语，但非正式语体除外。该词通常不用来形容人，除非是为了避免使用 fat（胖）。 - Great often suggests quality and not just size. Note also the phrases:
great 不仅指大，还常含伟大之意。另注意下列短语的用法： a large amount of 大量 a large number of 许多 a large quantity of 大量 a great deal of 大量 in great detail 非常详细 a person of great age. 年长者
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- appear
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘liberal in giving, lavish, ample in quantity’): via Old French from Latin larga, feminine of largus ‘copious’.
Idioms
at large
by and large
give/have it large
- (British English, slang)
to enjoy yourself, especially by dancing and drinking alcohol 玩个痛快；（尤指跳舞和饮酒）作乐
in large part | in large measure
(as) large as life
- (humorous)
used to show surprise at seeing somebody/something （表示惊讶地见到）本人，本身 I hadn’t seen her for fifteen years and then there she was, (as) large as life. 我有十五年未见过她，却在那里遇见她了，没错，就是她。
larger than life
looking or behaving in a way that is more interesting or exciting than other people, and so is likely to attract attention 外表或行为惹人注目
loom large
writ large (literary)