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- on the average
on the average
on the average
and on averagegenerally; usually. On the average, you can expect about a 10 percent failure rate. This report looks OK, on average.
on the average
also on average usually Health conditions were on the average pretty good. Women on average tend to be more interested in shopping than men are.
Etymology: based on the literal meaning of on average (when two or more amounts are added together and divided by the number of amounts)
on the average
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]