by and large
89
3.4
- idiom
:
en general
- Results showed that, by and large, officials sought out or were recruited into the career of official.
- by and large, however
- Western Europe, by and large
- became, by and large
And by and large, we eat too much.
- And by and large, we eat too much.
- Area contract law is by and large state law.
- And the problem that Richard faces is that by and large, it hasn't caught on.
- And I would say, yeah, I think we've by and large become more superficial.
- And I think by and large, we want the good stuff to win.
- And they avoid debt by and large, not all of them, but most of them.
- Yes, it's filthy and it needs a good cleaning, but by and large it's OK.
- In fact, I think by and large we're much too pessimistic about it.
- But by and large, that is not a part of my life.
- Malignant narcissistic folks, by and large, inspire fear.
- Where moral decisions were concerned, Elrich was by and large practical.
- The people that it has conquered have been by and large, even worse.
- And so now what happens is you, by and large, I'm an orphan.
Examples
-
But since the bitter lessons of two world wars, Western nationalism has, by and large, lost its aggressive character.
Academic text (1992) -
It was, by and large, a pleasant assignment, except for one thing.
-
And by and large, we eat too much.
-
The response to both of these problems by and large has been to provide information.
-
And I think that process by and large can work.
-
And I think by and large, we want the good stuff to win.
-
And they avoid debt by and large, not all of them, but most of them.
-
But by and large, they were in a good spot.
-
And, by and large, it works.
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By and large, most people enjoy spending time with their families.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Usually or in most cases
602
2.4
For the most part
418
1.0
For the most part
261
3.2
It happens in most cases but not always
219
1.6
Says something is true most of the time, not about small details
186
1.0
In most cases
103
3.7
Mainly true in most cases
73
3.5
In a general way without considering small details
52
2.6
Happens most of the time
31
4.0
Mostly or for the most part
22
3.0
Mainly or for the most part
9
3.7
In most cases
3
6.7
For the most part
Antonyms
How Typical
Surface Forms
Morphology
by + and + large
The overall sense 'in general' is not predictably built from the literal meanings of 'by', 'and' and 'large'—the phrase is a fixed, idiomatic pattern whose meaning has been conventionalized. A B1 learner who knows the individual words would be unlikely to infer the idiomatic generalizing meaning without prior exposure, so it is opaque.
Etymology
The phrase by and large comes from old sailing talk: sailors used by for sailing close to the wind and large for sailing with the wind behind the ship. Because those two ways covered most sailing situations, by and large came to mean 'in general' or 'for the most part'.