back-of-the-envelope

adjective

: done quickly to provide a rough estimate : not exact
did a back-of-the-envelope calculation
His method is, in effect, a back-of-the-envelope time-and-motion study.—Ian Stewart

Examples of back-of-the-envelope in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Swagel cautioned against doing arithmetic on the fly but offered some back-of-the-envelope numbers. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 Skromeda said that some local producers had done back-of-the-envelope math, and figured that Manitoba would still come out on top due to the currency exchange rate. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026 Doing some quick back-of-the-envelope math on the President’s numbers - 200 ships and 100 million barrels of oil - implies about 500,000 barrels of oil per ship. — Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 11 June 2026 Now borrow Virginia’s price and lay it over Pennsylvania’s pipeline, as a back-of-the-envelope test rather than an official figure. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for back-of-the-envelope

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of back-of-the-envelope was in 1968

Rhymes for back-of-the-envelope

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Browse Nearby Words

back of one's mind
back-of-the-envelope
back-order
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Cite this Entry

“Back-of-the-envelope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back-of-the-envelope. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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