Idioms for by
Origin of by
1
before 900; Middle English; Old English
bī; cognate with Dutch
bij, Old High German
bī (German
bei), Gothic
bi. See
be-
synonym study for by
11.
By,
through,
with indicate agency or means of getting something done or accomplished.
By is regularly used to denote the agent (person or force) in passive constructions:
It is done by many; destroyed by fire. It also indicates means:
Send it by airmail.
With denotes the instrument (usually consciously) employed by an agent:
He cut it with the scissors.
Through designates particularly immediate agency or instrumentality or reason or motive:
through outside aid; to yield through fear; wounded through carelessness.
Words nearby by
British Dictionary definitions for by and large (1 of 3)
by and large
adverb
in general; on the whole
Word Origin for by and large
C17: originally nautical (meaning: to the wind and off it)
British Dictionary definitions for by and large (2 of 3)
Word Origin for by
Old English
bī; related to Gothic
bi, Old High German
bī, Sanskrit
abhi to, towards
British Dictionary definitions for by and large (3 of 3)
by
2
the internet domain name for
Belarus
Idioms and Phrases with by and large
by and large
For the most part, generally speaking, as in By and large the novel was a success. This expression originated in 17th-century seamanship, where it referred to sailing into the wind and then off it, which made it easier to steer. By the early 1700s the term had been broadened to mean “in one direction and another,” whence its present meaning of “in general.” For a synonym, see for the most part.