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

Homeless folks in Grants Pass—who, by and large, are from Grants Pass—face constant surveillance, threats, and harassment.

From Slate • Jun. 27, 2026

But by and large, mainstream Hollywood has done little with AI thus far.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

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 • Feb. 20, 2026

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 • Feb. 13, 2026

But by and large the Miss Kenton I saw before me looked surprisingly similar to the person who had inhabited my memory over these years.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

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