Definition of BY AND LARGE

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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 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.

Examples of by and large in a Sentence

by and large, that information is accurate

Recent Examples on the Web But by and large, Rare Replay's documentary content centered on games on the disc as opposed to missing games like Wizards & Warriors, Donkey Kong 64, or Taboo. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Goldeneye 007’s lost remaster emerges again via massive, polished video leak," 8 Nov. 2019 But by and large, trams remain firmly part of life in the east of the city. — Washington Post, "In Berlin, quirky reminders linger from East-West divide," 4 Nov. 2019 The demographic explanation notes that protest is, by and large, an activity of the young, and humanity is still relatively youthful, with a median age of just under 30, and a third of people aged under 20. — The Economist, "Why are so many countries witnessing mass protests?," 4 Nov. 2019 But by and large, streaming and subscription services are providing artists, songwriters, labels and publishers an opportunity to grow. — Glenn Peoples, Billboard, "Why Universal Music Group's Q3 Earnings Bode Well for the Rest of the Business," 18 Oct. 2019 But by and large, white-collar workers at tech companies have stopped short of collective bargaining, even as the labor movement has courted them. — Michael Gold, New York Times, "Kickstarter Calls Itself Progressive. But About That Union.," 15 Oct. 2019 In India, there was muted criticism, but even the opposition members, by and large, supported the government’s action. — Ved Nanda, The Denver Post, "Nanda: Narendra Modi’s hearty welcome in Houston should be echoed in Kashmir," 27 Sep. 2019 Characters seem to be voiced, by and large, by the same actors that were in the Avengers cartoons. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Hands on with Marvel Dimension of Heroes: Fun, frantic though repetitive AR gameplay," 27 Sep. 2019 The problem, by and large, isn’t that countries are denying the science of climate change. — Justin Worland, Time, "Global Action on Climate Change Blocked By Political Disruptions," 25 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'by and large.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.