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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."
Examples of by and large in a Sentence
Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
Chocolate is another major Latin American import, given that the U.S. climate is by and large unsuited to growing cocoa beans.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2025
But, a March 25 YouGov survey revealed that Americans, by and large, are not downplaying the incident.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
But, by and large, hiring has been petering out in most white-collar industries in part due to this recalibration, but also due to rising costs, uncertainty, and technology advancement, Shrivastava said.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“By and large.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by%20and%20large. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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