How do you use "Give or Take" in a sentence?

It'll take two hours, give or take. There were fifty people there, give or take. It costs £100, give or take a few pounds. I'm 30, give or take.' (joking about age)

Give or Take

Q: What does "Give or Take" mean?

Approximately; plus or minus Indicates an approximate figure with some flexibility either way. Adds a margin of error to estimates.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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Meaning: Approximately; plus or minus

大约；上下浮动

Aproximadamente; más o menos

おおよそ、多少の誤差はあるが

대략; 오차 범위 포함

Indicates an approximate figure with some flexibility either way. Adds a margin of error to estimates.

表示一个大概的数字，允许上下有一定的浮动。给估算值加上误差范围。

Indica una cifra aproximada con cierta flexibilidad en ambos sentidos. Añade un margen de error a las estimaciones.

多少の幅を持たせたおおよその数字を示す表現です。見積もりに誤差の余地を加えます。

대략적인 수치에 어느 정도 오차가 있을 수 있음을 나타내는 표현. 추정치에 오차 범위를 더한다.

Examples

It'll take two hours, give or take.
大概要两个小时，上下浮动一点。
Tardará unas dos horas, más o menos.
2時間くらいかかるよ、多少前後するけど。
2시간 정도 걸릴 거야, 대략.
There were fifty people there, give or take.
那里大概有五十个人，差不多吧。
Había unas cincuenta personas, más o menos.
50人くらいいたかな、だいたいだけど。
거기 50명 정도 있었어, 대략.
It costs £100, give or take a few pounds.
大概100英镑，差个几镑。
Cuesta unas 100 libras, con un margen de unas pocas.
100ポンドくらいだよ、数ポンドの誤差はあるけど。
100파운드 정도야, 몇 파운드 오차 범위로.
I'm 30, give or take.' (joking about age)
我30岁，大概吧。＝开玩笑说年龄
Tengo 30 años, más o menos. = bromeando sobre la edad
30歳だよ、まぁだいたいね。＝年齢をごまかして
나 30살이야, 대충.' (나이 농담)

Pronunciation

/ɡɪv ɔː teɪk/

Usage Guide

Context: estimates, approximations, numbers

Tone: approximate, casual

✓ Do Say

Give or take.
大概吧。
Más o menos.
だいたいね。
대충 그 정도.
About 10, give or take.
大约10个，上下浮动。
Unos 10, más o menos.
10くらい、多少の誤差はあるけど。
한 10개, 좀 더 되거나 덜 되거나.
Give or take a few.
差个几个。
Con un margen de unos pocos.
数個の誤差はあるけど。
몇 개 차이 정도.

✗ Don't Say

Implies imprecision
暗示不精确
Implica imprecisión
不正確さを含意する
부정확함을 내포함
Not for exact figures
不用于精确数字
No se usa para cifras exactas
正確な数字には使わない
정확한 수치에는 사용하지 않음

Common Mistakes

Indicates margin of error
Works with any quantity

Origin & History

Natural expression where 'give' and 'take' represent adding or subtracting from an estimate. Acknowledges imprecision.

Etymology: Give (add) or take (subtract) from the estimate

First recorded: Common English expression

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Common everyday expression; Used in casual estimation

Regional notes: Universal across English-speaking countries.

Variations

Give or takeGive or take a fewPlus or minus