By and large means “in general” or "on the whole" in most contexts, but in sailors’ lingo of yore, whence the phrase arose, by and large described a vessel alternately sailing as directly into the wind as possible (typically within about 45 degrees of the wind)—that is, by—and away from the direction from which the wind is blowing, with the wind hitting the vessel’s widest point—that is, large. (Note that this by also appears in the term full and by: "sailing as directly into the wind as possible and with all sails full.") William Bourne’s 1578 book Inventions or Devises offers insight into the phrase’s original use: “… to make a ship to draw or go but little into the water, and to hold a good wind, and to sail well both by and large, were very necessary …” As has happened with much nautical jargon, the phrase eventually came ashore. By and large, landlubbers welcomed it, first in the sense "in many directions" or "in all ways," and ultimately with its present meaning of "in general."
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The monopoly-power of the UPA won out, and players by and large were forced to take the cuts or face being effectively ousted from the tour (Braverman no longer plays on the UPA, whether by choice or by banishment, and many MLP players took far larger cuts than their PPA aligned fellow pros).—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025 Nor are companies in our coverage universe by and large taking the kind of risks now that could come back to hurt them in tougher times.—Moneyshow, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025 But this is a team that is by and large going to have to grind out victories.—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2025 And despite their politics, Turkey’s Kurds, by and large, are believing Muslims.—Ragip Soylu, Time, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for by and large
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