by and large

adverb

Definition of by and largenext
as in mostly
for the most part by and large, that information is accurate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of by and large School districts operate fleets of school buses; by and large, those also run on diesel, although some run on natural gas. — Joel Feder, The Drive, 2 Sep. 2026 SpaceX has promised to adopt mitigation strategies in their filings, but other companies have not publicized plans for any mitigation efforts, and the FCC has declared that light pollution from satellites is, by and large, not under its control. — Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026 The west Sonoma coast is, by and large, a forbidding place, even for grapes. — Patrick Comiskey, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 There are exceptions but by and large those awards are for a select few. — Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for by and large
Recent Examples of Synonyms for by and large
  1. mostly
  2. mainly
  3. primarily
  4. chiefly
  5. largely
  6. predominantly
  7. basically
  8. principally
Adverb
  • And today the National Weather Service issued dozens of tornado warnings, mostly in Georgia and South Carolina.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Ticket buyers were mostly older males, a demographic that’s been slow to return to theaters since the pandemic.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of mostly
Adverb
  • For now, Heaton’s mainly focused on something different though.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
  • While Atlanta’s luxury hotels are mainly sequestered to corporate Midtown and Buckhead, Forth’s arrival in Old Fourth Ward brings an exciting luxurious element to the neighborhood.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of mainly
Adverb
  • Asfaw primarily develops cost-friendly skin care products that target young consumer needs.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Unlike conventional chatbots that primarily respond to prompts, autonomous agents can navigate websites, use tools, and carry out sequences of actions.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of primarily
Adverb
  • The five original Nobel Prizes were created under the terms of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel’s will and have been awarded since 1901, with only limited interruptions, chiefly during World War I and World War II.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The costs have been driven up chiefly by efforts to modernize pricing.
    — MICHAEL PHILLIS, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of chiefly
Adverb
  • Fan largely disappeared from Chinese screens after a 2018 tax evasion case.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The outstanding artwork of the exhibition, Goldin’s slideshow, largely devoted to candid portraits of friends, many shot in her Bowery loft, remains stunningly raw.
    — J. Hoberman, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of largely
Adverb
  • Santa Maria, a predominantly Latino city on California’s Central Coast, is about 30 minutes south of San Luis Obispo.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Expulsion is currently banned within Head Start, which serves nearly 700,000 predominantly low-income kids.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of predominantly
Adverb
  • That starts with not playing from behind basically from the opening shift.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Artificial intelligence, or basically anything unmanned, is unnerving.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of basically
Adverb
  • The whole city ends up bearing the brunt of astronomical housing prices that, whatever their other causes, are principally downstream from a housing market that quite simply cannot keep up with demand.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Treasury officials said the network operates principally from Mexico and Venezuela and has become an important source of revenue for Tren de Aragua, which the United States designated a foreign terrorist organization last year.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of principally

Browse Nearby Words

by-and-bys
by and large
by-blow
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Cite this Entry

“By and large.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/by%20and%20large. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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