by and large

adverb

: on the whole : in general

Did you know?

By and large is originally a sailing term meaning "alternately close-hauled and not close-hauled." A ship that is sailing "close-hauled" is sailing as directly into the wind as possible (typically within about 45 degrees of the wind). The by part of the phrase means "close-hauled." (This by also appears in the term full and by, meaning "sailing with all sails full and as close to the wind as possible.") Large, by contrast, refers to a point of sail in which the wind is hitting the boat "abaft the beam," or behind the boat's widest point. A 1669 example of a variant spelling of by and large gives us a sense of the range implied: "Thus you see the ship handled in fair weather and foul, by and learge" (S. Sturmy, Mariners Magazine). The suggestion of a wide range carries over into the term's "in general" sense.

Synonyms

• altogether
• basically
• chiefly
• generally
• largely
• mainly
• mostly
• overall
• predominantly
• primarily
• principally
• substantially

Examples of by and large in a Sentence

by and large, that information is accurate

Recent Examples on the Web

Even so, there was no law compelling police departments to release them on their own, and by and large these agencies played it safe rather than incur the wrath of overlapping city personnel protections and potential claims of officer rights violations. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024

On the plus side, new-vehicle production is on the increase, and consumer demand is still strong among new-car buyers, who by and large have good credit scores. —Jim Henry, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

Tusk last week insisted that the Polish farmers are by and large not anti-Ukrainian, noting that many of them are the same people who have extended help to Ukrainian refugees. —Vanessa Gera, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024

Much of the campaign mail has been positive, and interactions at candidate forums have been congenial, by and large. —David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024

Even though the group’s biggest Hot 100 hit was a cover, Bananarama has by and large written most of its own material over its 40-year career – which is part of what keeps them going. —Joe Lynch, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024

One of the biggest challenges impeding progress is the fact that laws, by and large, are reactive instead of preventative regulation. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Feb. 2024

To research the show, the curator Veronica Roberts polled nearly 100 colleagues to piece together a history of art and labor that had by and large not been written. —John Wogan Juliet Izon Gisela Williams Lindsey Tramuta Julia Halperin Jameson Montgomery, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024

But, by and large, state workers said they aren’t sold on the aforementioned benefits of in-office work. —Maya Miller, Sacramento Bee, 12 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

by and large

adverb

ˌbī-ən-ˈlärj

: on the whole : in general