roughly

adverb

rough·ly | \ˈrə-flē

\

Definition of roughly

1 : in a rough manner: such as

a : with harshness or violence treated the prisoner roughly

b : in crude fashion : imperfectly roughly dressed lumber

2 : without completeness or exactness : approximately roughly 20 percent

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about roughly

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Examples of roughly in a Sentence

Roughly translated, it means “hurry up!”. The new product is modeled roughly on an earlier design. He threw the package roughly in the truck. The guard told us roughly that we had to stand back.

Recent Examples on the Web

How shows get road-tested, and where, has changed greatly since Boston’s heyday as a tryout town, which lasted roughly from the 1920s to the early 1970s. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "A comeback role for Boston theaters?," 14 July 2018 Today, the 3,600 rental units Berrada's companies own cover 3.2 million square feet, roughly the size of 55 football fields. — Kevin Crowe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'He'll evict you in a minute.' Landlord quietly becomes a force in Milwaukee rental business...and eviction court," 13 July 2018 The military budget is roughly as much as education, health and welfare combined. — Eliora Katz, WSJ, "Iranians Are Now Chanting ‘Death to Palestine’," 13 July 2018 And the path to success can be smoother in the roughly one-third of the U.S. that is not bound to an IOU. — Justin Worland/pueblo, Time, "How One Industrial City Is Fighting to Go Green," 12 July 2018 Musk has said a roughly 400-mile hyperloop between Los Angeles and San Francisco would cost $7.5 billion to build and outfit with capsules; others have said costs could be 10 times that. — Dug Begley, Houston Chronicle, "Hyperloop's first step bypasses Houston," 11 July 2018 And then there are the millennials, roughly defined as those born between 1981 and 1996. — Rachel King, Fortune, "This Is the Number One Reason Why People Don't Unplug From Work While on Vacation," 11 July 2018 That remains below the roughly 4 percent annual gains that are typical of a healthy economy. — Christopher Rugaber, The Seattle Times, "American workers’ willingness to quit hits 17-year high," 10 July 2018 Those were three of the seven biking deaths (plus at least two near-fatal traumatic brain injuries of former pro cyclists) that occurred in Boulder County within a roughly 12-month window culminating in 2017. — Marc Peruzzi, Outside Online, "The Troubling Rise of the Ghost Bike," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roughly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near roughly

Statistics for roughly

Last Updated

2 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for roughly

The first known use of roughly was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for roughly

roughly

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of roughly

: not exactly but close in number, quality, meaning, etc.

: in a way that is not gentle or careful

: in a very simple or basic way

See the full definition for roughly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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