noun phrase🎓 English idiom
ballpark figure
a rough estimate
What it means
A rough numerical estimate given when an exact figure isn't yet known or isn't needed. It signals that the number is approximate and could change once more details are confirmed.
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Examples
- Can you give me a ballpark figure for how much the renovation will cost?
- Without seeing the full data, I can only offer a ballpark figure right now.
- A ballpark figure of around two thousand attendees seems reasonable for the event.
- He quoted a ballpark figure of three weeks, but the final timeline may differ.
Where it comes from
An Americanism from the mid-20th century drawn from baseball; something "in the ballpark" was roughly within the expected range, by contrast with a wildly inaccurate guess.
Related idioms
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