on the average

Idioms

As a rule, usually, as in On the average, about 15 percent of the freshmen class will drop out before graduation. This expression uses average in the sense of “a norm or standard.” [First half of 1700s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the Dow comprises only 30 companies, weighted by share prices, so a sharp change in an expensive stock can exert strong pressure on the average.

From Los Angeles Times

This indicator is based on the average U.S. household’s allocation to equities.

From MarketWatch

It lists each of the four markets for which my auditing firm constructs sentiment indices, which are based on the average exposure levels among monitored market timers.

From MarketWatch

The report’s conclusion relies on the average speed of answer, which includes callbacks so that callers are not actively waiting on the phone.

From MarketWatch

Add on the average time taken for free-kicks, and we wouldn't be too far over that 100 minutes and 46 seconds.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023