Meaning & Definition of Roughly in English

1. (of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct

• "Lasted approximately an hour"

• "In just about a minute"

• "He's about 30 years old"

• "I've had about all i can stand"

• "We meet about once a month"

• "Some forty people came"

• "Weighs around a hundred pounds"

• "Roughly $3,000"

• "Holds 3 gallons, more or less"

• "20 or so people were at the party"

2. With roughness or violence (`rough' is an informal variant for `roughly')

• "He was pushed roughly aside"

• "They treated him rough"

3. With rough motion as over a rough surface

• "Ride rough"