by and large

British  

adverb

1. in general; on the whole

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of by and large

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

by and large

But by and large, he’s been a huge disappointment.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

Wall Street by and large laid low in its criticisms of Zohran Mamdani’s first few months as New York City’s mayor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Long added she was "conscious always" of the security threat in Northern Ireland, but, "by and large", the police have been able to "suppress and disrupt" such activity.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026

Despite the fact that, by and large, Americans have never been richer External link, consumer sentiment is in the doldrums.

From Barron's ● Apr. 2, 2026

They even allowed the occasional Jew—like Longstreet’s Major Moses, or Judah Benjamin, back in Richmond—but by and large they were all the same nationality, same religion, same customs.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

Related Words

• commonly
• consistently
• customarily
• frequently
• generally
• mostly
• naturally
• normally
• occasionally
• often
• ordinarily
• regularly
• routinely
• sometimes