roughly

adverb

rough·​ly ˈrə-flē How to pronounce roughly (audio)
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

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 The Biden administration ultimately forked over roughly $27 billion in unused pandemic funds across federal agencies last year including roughly $4.5 billion from HHS. advertisement Newsletters Sign up for D.C. Diagnosis Washington never stops. Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 23 May 2024 Estimated to cost roughly $2 billion to $3 billion, the project is one of several ambitious rail projects the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is undertaking in the coming years. Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for roughly 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roughly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near roughly

Cite this Entry

“Roughly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roughly. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

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