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Glite Dictionary
or thereabout

or thereabout

7 7.0
At about that time, place, or number
  • idiom
: aproximadamente
  • But, you know, does it matter that he is talking for a couple hours every day or thereabouts on Twitter?

They tend to launch things either at GTC or thereabouts.

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Examples

  • You should get an oil change in Boston or thereabout before coming back.

  • The meeting is scheduled for 10 AM, or thereabout, depending on everyone's availability.

  • That would mean 99.99325%, or thereabout, would be the percentage of peaceful protesters.

    Blog text (17)

  • The project will be completed in six months, or thereabout, if all goes according to plan.

  • They live in the nearby town, or thereabout, which makes it easy for them to visit.

Synonyms

about
vsor thereabout
∞ 1.0

Not exact but near a number, amount, or time

has the same approximate meaning yet appears as a short phrase
around
vsor thereabout
∞ 1.0

About an amount or number, not exact

conveys the same closeness but functions as a multiword phrase after or
approximately
vsor thereabout
471 3.2

Near the exact number or amount

expresses the same approximation but is used as a phrase after or
roughly
vsor thereabout
393 1.6

About a number or amount that is not exact

uses the same imperfect precision but is phrased after or
more or less
vsor thereabout
251 2.1

About a number or idea, not exact but close enough

expresses the same approximation while typically appearing after or
approx.
vsor thereabout
15 3.1

People use it to say a number or time is close to but not exact

means the same but appears as a fuller phrase rather than an abbreviation
thereabouts
vsor thereabout
9 5.9

At about that time, date, or number

uses the same near sense but commonly appears after the word or
along about
vsor thereabout
  • Informal
6 6.3

At about that time

shares that approximate time sense but is used as a fixed phrase after or
thereabout
vsor thereabout
1 6.5

At or near that time

shares that location or time sense but often follows the word or

How Approximate

approximately
471 3.2
or thereabout
7 7.0
about
∞ 1.0
exactly
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

or thereabout positive

Morphology

or + thereabout

The phrase means 'approximately that time/place/number' and this is directly derivable from the constituents: 'thereabout' conveys approximation near that point and 'or' signals an alternative/approximation. The composition follows a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern for giving approximate values, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would readily recover the meaning.

Etymology

Or thereabout may come from joining there, meaning that time or place, and about, meaning around. When you say a time or number and add or thereabout, you mean it is close to that point, not exact, so the phrase now means 'approximately' or 'about that point'.