on the order of
Idioms-
Approximately, as in We need on the order of three cases of wine for the reception .
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Like, of a kind similar to, as in Their house is on the order of a colonial saltbox . [c. 1900]
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 labor markets are on the order of $10 trillion to $20 trillion, whether in the digital or the physical economy.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
“The down time could be pretty short. It could be on the order of a few weeks instead of many months,” he said, depending on what else needs to be replaced in the plant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
The Fed would have to take a loss on the order of some $320 billion on the trade, according to Guha’s estimate.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 14, 2026
The chemical differences between the two disks reveal how quickly these environments can evolve -- on the order of only 2 million years.
From Science Daily • Oct. 29, 2025
If that is magic, it is minor magic, on the order of card tricks.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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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.