to live large
13
8.2
- phrasal verb
- /lɪv lɑrdʒ/
- Informal
- I know this sounds preachy, but when significant numbers of people stop living large, it can have a real effect on the system as it is.
- living large now
- still living large
- living large here
Examples
-
It was crazy, but we were living large—really living life.
Blog text (3) -
I consciously decided to distill that outside energy for good, to accept the chaos and live large in my art, in my personal style, and in my relationships with light-seeking people.
Blog text (30) -
We're gonna be living large on this.
-
My boy's been living large!
-
I, too, am learning to live large and step into my power.
Blog text (2) -
Their people suffer, but they themselves are living large, have status, and nice cars.
Blog text (13) -
Petree is living large during a third career.
Blog text (30) -
On the upside, Michelle's mother can continue to live large in the White House for four more years.
Blog text (6) -
Goodness gracious, those gals were certainly 'living large' there on the Champs-Élysées in "Gay Paree"!
Blog text (29) -
After winning the lottery, she decided to live large and travel the world in style.
Synonyms
3
8.2
Have a very comfortable life with lots of money
1
9.9
In a very expensive way like someone with a lot of money
To spend more money to enjoy something very fancy, like a hotel or dinner
To celebrate and enjoy yourself loudly at a big party
Antonyms
How Extravagant
- Informal
13
8.2
1
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to enjoy life extravagantly' is largely inferable from 'live' (to have a way of life) + 'large' (big/on a grand scale) because the phrase essentially means to live in a big or grand way. However, 'large' is being used figuratively/adverbially and that pragmatic shift may not be fully obvious to a B1 learner without exposure, so the expression is only partially transparent (though many languages have comparable patterns like Spanish 'vivir a lo grande').
Etymology
Live large may come from a simple picture: someone choosing to live in a large house and enjoy big comforts like fancy food and fine clothes. So, the phrase came to mean 'to enjoy life with lots of money and comfort'.