By And Large

Pronunciation: /baɪ ənd lɑːrdʒ/

Definitions of by and large

adverb in general; overall

Example Sentences

A1 By and large, cats are independent animals.

A2 By and large, students prefer studying in groups.

B1 By and large, the company's profits have increased this year.

B2 By and large, the new software update has been well received by users.

C1 By and large, the government's economic policies have been successful.

C2 By and large, the research findings support the hypothesis.

conjunction used to indicate that a statement is generally true or applicable

Example Sentences

A1 By and large, I like to eat pizza.

A2 By and large, she prefers to study in the library.

B1 By and large, the team performed well in the competition.

B2 By and large, the new software update has improved performance.

C1 By and large, the company has seen steady growth over the past year.

C2 By and large, the research findings support the theory proposed by the scientist.

Examples of by and large in a Sentence

formal By and large, the company's financial performance has been quite stable over the past few years.

informal By and large, I think most people enjoyed the party last night.

slang By and large, the new restaurant in town is pretty dope.

figurative By and large, we can say that life is like a rollercoaster with its ups and downs.

Grammatical Forms of by and large

• past tense: by and larged
• plural: by and larges
• comparative: more by and large
• superlative: most by and large
• present tense: by and larges
• future tense: will by and large
• perfect tense: have by and larged
• continuous tense: is by and larging
• singular: by and large
• positive degree: by and large
• infinitive: to by and large
• gerund: by and larging
• participle: by and larged

Origin and Evolution of by and large

First Known Use: 1667 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The phrase 'by and large' originated from nautical terminology, where 'by' referred to sailing close to the wind and 'large' referred to sailing with the wind behind. It was used to describe a ship's ability to sail well in various wind conditions.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the phrase 'by and large' evolved from its original nautical meaning to be used more generally to mean 'on the whole' or 'in general'. It is now commonly used in everyday language to indicate a generalization or summary.