A Ball Park Figure Meaning, Synonyms, Examples

When your boss asks you when will a particular project be finished, you give them “a ball park figure”, or an estimate of the time that you will require to wrap up the project. The idiom refers to a rough numerical approximation or estimate of the value of an otherwise unknown quantity. It is used when you want to give a general idea of how much something costs, how long something takes, how big something is, etc., without being very precise or accurate. 

Usage With Examples

Here’s how to use the above idiom in a sentence correctly:

1. The contractor gave us a ball park figure of how much it would cost to renovate our kitchen, but we still need to get a detailed quote.
2. I don’t know the exact number of people who attended the concert, but I can give you a ball park figure based on the ticket sales.
3. She asked me for a ball park figure of how long it would take me to finish the project, so I told her about two weeks.

Also Read: 500+ Most Commonly Used Idioms in English

Synonyms and Similar Phrases

Given below are some phrases and words that have the same meaning as the idiom “a ball park figure”:

1. A rough guess
2. A guesstimate
3. An approximation
4. A rough idea
5. A ballpark estimate
6. A rough figure
7. Educated guess

A Ball Park Figure Quiz

I don’t know the exact population of India, but I can give you a _ figure based on the latest census data.

a) Ball park
b) Bat ball
c) Park swing
d) Swing and miss

The correct answer is a).

We hope this blog helped you understand the meaning of the idiom “a ball park figure”, its usage in a sentence, and the associated synonyms and phrases. To explore other idioms like this, keep following Leverage Edu. Happy Learning!