more or less

Idioms  

1. Approximately, as in The truck will hold nine yards of dirt, more or less . This usage was first recorded in 1589.

2. Basically, essentially, as in We more or less agree on the substance of the letter . This usage was first recorded about 1225.

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Example Sentences

I don’t know if Justin Trudeau is more or less likely to get back into elected politics once he’s married or if he gets married, but some people may think so.

From Barron's

Since the 1970s, engineers speculated this might allow humans to store vast quantities of energy more or less indefinitely.

From The Wall Street Journal

The standard ratio has moved more or less sideways this week, but the weighted ratio continues to climb.

From MarketWatch

The findings revealed consistent misconceptions about which foods are more or less harmful to the environment.

From Science Daily

There’s a more or less journalistic documentary about the secretive operations of the Church of Scientology, which sometimes deconstructs itself into a movie about the failed attempt to make such a documentary.

From Salon