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Synonyms

by and large

British  

adverb

  1. in general; on the whole

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
by and large Idioms  

  1. For the most part, generally speaking, as in By and large the novel was a success. This expression originated in 17th-century seamanship, where it referred to sailing into the wind and then off it, which made it easier to steer. By the early 1700s the term had been broadened to mean “in one direction and another,” whence its present meaning of “in general.” For a synonym, see for the most part.

Etymology

Origin of by and large

C17: originally nautical (meaning: to the wind and off it)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But by and large, Goolsbee said, consumer-spending growth and modest unemployment suggest the economy has held up well, making inflation the appropriate target of the Fed’s attention.

From The Wall Street Journal

It has endured for 70 years because its attractions, by and large, reflect cultural myths.

From Los Angeles Times

Local fire marshals, fire chiefs and firefighting unions have, by and large, opposed easing staircase requirements in the building code wherever they’ve been proposed.

From Los Angeles Times

“We have written the networks letters, and the response, by and large, has been defensive as they attempt to justify what is unjustifiable,” Jackson said at the news conference.

From Los Angeles Times

The U.S. can still claim some of those companies, but by and large that kind of market trend would be much more beneficial to the rest of the world.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.