A ballpark is a baseball stadium and figure here means "number."
Idiom: ball park figure
Definition
An estimate; a number that is not correct, but is acceptable. Also: ballpark estimate.
Examples
→ I can’t give you a price on the work yet, but I can give you a ballpark figure.
→ The mayor offered a ballpark estimate on how much a new airport would cost.
Notes
This idiom comes from baseball.
Related Idioms
• ballpark estimate (synonym)
Level
The idiom ballpark figure is intermediate- to advanced-level vocabulary. The phrase is common in business English and in everyday conversation.
Idioms: Idioms are phrases whose meaning is not clear from the words in them. Idioms come from many sources. This is a sports idiom from baseball, a phrase that is now used figuratively outside of baseball. It is an example of the many popular, colorful idioms that come from the sport. Check out the book English for Baseball for more vocabulary from the sport. Or for general sports idioms, check out English Idioms 2: Sports—Hit a Home Run.
Learn more idioms at the Targets in English Lessons page. You can also find Targets in English on Twitter and the web.
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