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.
That’s more or less what streaming services are providing in August: a bunch of shows that don’t require much thinking — just sit back and enjoy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
“We can actually predict whether a dog is more or less likely to die,” says Tufts University researcher Daniel Promislow, an author of the study.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
However, when the researchers tracked the same participants from 2021 through 2024, they found that increasing personal climate action did not make someone more or less politically active the following year.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
As the years went by, it became more or less evident that sooner or later I would be asked to do this job.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
After all, with so many of the Folk around, what is one person more or less?
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
