in round numbers

Idioms  

1. Also, in round figures. As an approximate estimate. For example, How much will the new highway cost, in round numbers? or In round figures a diamond of this quality is worth five thousand dollars, but it depends on the market at the time of selling. This idiom, which uses round in the sense of “whole” or “rounded off,” is sometimes used very loosely, as Thomas Hardy did in Far from the Madding Crowd (1874): “Well, ma'am, in round numbers, she's run away with the soldiers.” [Mid-1600s] Also see ballpark figure.

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Example Sentences

“Then, Herbert, estimate; estimate it in round numbers, and put it down.”

From Literature

Banks are legally required to file them when they see transactions that have the traits of financial misconduct or money laundering, such as large transactions in round numbers, or payments between two companies that have no observable business relationship.

From Washington Post

In round numbers, scooters cost around $400.

From The Wall Street Journal

In round numbers, a million seconds is 17,000 minutes.

From Scientific American

New research suggests these two things—the backslapping over sales breaching a round number, and analysts setting the sales bars companies must clear in round numbers—affect corporate behavior.

From The Wall Street Journal