more or less
Idioms-
Approximately, as in The truck will hold nine yards of dirt, more or less . This usage was first recorded in 1589.
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Basically, essentially, as in We more or less agree on the substance of the letter . This usage was first recorded about 1225.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The fund has posted average annual returns of 9.2% over the past decade, finishing more or less in the middle of the pack for its Morningstar category.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
Ranging from complete cartoons to more or less fully realized humans, they don’t all fit together perfectly, and so nominally emotional moments don’t necessarily register as such.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
As I've mentioned in previous columns, today's managers and coaches are more or less given players to coach rather than choosing signings themselves.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
When exposed to a focused beam of electrons, specific regions of the film become more or less absorbent.
From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026
The job, for her, was a welcome shift in routine, and for our family it was also more or less a financial necessity.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
