order of magnitude


noun
  1. the approximate size of something, esp measured in powers of 10: the order of magnitude of the deficit was as expected; their estimates differ by an order of magnitude Also called: order

Words Nearby order of magnitude

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for order of magnitude

order of magnitude

A rough measure of the size, or magnitude, of something, expressed as a power of ten: “The mass of the Earth is of the order of magnitude of 1024 kilograms.” Also, the range of values that such a rough statement applies to.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.