more or less

more or less idiom
  1. Approximately, as in The truck will hold nine yards of dirt, more or less. This usage was first recorded in 1589.
  2. Basically, essentially, as in We more or less agree on the substance of the letter. This usage was first recorded about 1225.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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