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By and large is originally a sailing term meaning "alternately close-hauled and not close-hauled." A ship that is sailing "close-hauled" is sailing as directly into the wind as possible (typically within about 45 degrees of the wind). The by part of the phrase means "close-hauled." (This by also appears in the term full and by, meaning "sailing with all sails full and as close to the wind as possible.") Large, by contrast, refers to a point of sail in which the wind is hitting the boat "abaft the beam," or behind the boat's widest point. A 1669 example of a variant spelling of by and large gives us a sense of the range implied: "Thus you see the ship handled in fair weather and foul, by and learge" (S. Sturmy, Mariners Magazine). The suggestion of a wide range carries over into the term's "in general" sense.
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Examples of by and large in a Sentence
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
Even so, there was no law compelling police departments to release them on their own, and by and large these agencies played it safe rather than incur the wrath of overlapping city personnel protections and potential claims of officer rights violations.
—Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'by and large.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“By and large.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by%20and%20large. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
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