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.
But another explanation is that "the market sees it more or less as a shell game," O'Hare said of the policy.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
"It hits your nose straight away, your eyes burn – that's more or less what it's like," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Japanese defense planners are also looking east, to the country’s Pacific side, where a jumble of tiny Japanese islands and outcrops lie more or less undefended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
In spite of all this baggage, the show was more or less a blast, especially in a loosey-goosey third act that followed two sections full of intricate pyrotechnics and well-practiced choreography.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Synonyms are two different words that mean more or less the same thing.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
